CASE STUDY QUESTIONS

ELECTROSTATICS PART 1

1. Photocopiers work on the principle that ‘opposites attract’. Toner is a powder that is used to create
the printed text and images on paper. The powder is negatively charged, and so it is attracted to
something positive – the paper. The drum, which is located in the heart of a photocopier, is
positively charged using static electricity. An image of the master copy is transferred onto the
drum using a laser. The light parts of the image (the white areas on a piece of paper) lose their
charge so become more negative, and the black areas of the image (where the text is) remai n
positively charged.

(i) Which of the following figures represent the electric field lines due to a single negative charge?

(ii) Consider a region inside which, there are various types of charges but the total charge is zero. At
points outside the region
(a) the electric field is necessarily zero.
(b) the electric field is due to the dipole moment of the charge distribution only.
(c) the dominant electric field is inversely proportional to r3, for large r (distance from origin).
(d) the work done to move a charged particle along a closed path, away from the region will not be
zero.

(iii) If a body is negatively charged, then it has

(a) excess of electrons
(b) excess of protons
(c) deficiency of electron
(d) deficiency of neutrons
(iv) A charged particle is free to move in an electric field. It will travel
(a) always along a line of force
(b) along a line of force, if its initial velocity is zero
(c) along a line of force, if it has some initial velocity in the direction of an acute angle with the line
of force
(d) none of the above
(v) Which of the following statements is incorrect?
I. The charge q on a body is always given by q = ne, where n is any integer, positive or negative.
 II. By convention, the charge on an electron is taken to be negative.
III. The fact that electric charge is always an integral multiple of e is termed as quantisation of charge.
IV. The quatisation of charge was experimentally demonstrated by Newton in 1912.
(a) Only I
(b) Only II
(c) Only IV
(d) Only III
2. Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops)
bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while,
the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. The positive charges or protons form at the top of the cloud and the
negative charges or electrons form at the bottom of the cloud. Since opposites attract, that causes a positive charge to
build up on the ground beneath the cloud. The grounds electrical charge concentrates around anything that sticks up,
such as mountains, people, or single trees. The charge coming up from these points eventually connects with a charge
reaching down from the clouds and lightning strikes.

(i) Charge is the property associated with matter due to which it produces and experiences
(a) electric effects only
(b) magnetic effects only
(c) both electric and magnetic effects
(d) None of these

(ii) When some charge is transferred to ...A... it readily gets distributed over the entire surface of ... A... If some
charge is put on ... B..., it stays at the same place. Here, A and B refer to
(a) insulator, conductor
(b) conductor, insulator
(c) insulator, insulator
(d) conductor, conductor

(iii) On charging by conduction, mass of a body may

(a) increase
(b) decreases
(c) increase or decrease
(d) None of these

(iv) If one penetrates a uniformly charged spherical cloud, electric field strength
(a) decreases directly as the distance from the centre
(b) increases directly as the distance from the centre
(c) remains constant
(d) None of these

(v) The law, governing the force between electric charges in the cloud is known as
(a) Ampere's law
(b) Ohm's law
(c) Faraday's law
(d) Coulomb's law

3. Neurons maintain different concentrations of certain ions across their cell membranes. Imagine
the case of a boat with a small leak below the water line. In order to keep the boat afloat, the small
amount of water entering through the leak has to be pumped out, which maintains a lower water
 level relative to the open sea. Neurons do the same thing, but they pump out positively charged
sodium ions. In addition, they pump in positively charged potassium ions. Thus there is a high
concentration of sodium ions present outside the neuron, and a high concentration of potassium
ions inside. Thus sodium channels allow sodium ions through the membrane while potassium
channels allow potassium ions through.

(i) When neuron pump out and in the positive sodium and positive potassium ions respectively which property
of charge is to be followed
(a) Quantisation of charge
(b) Additivity of charges
(c) Conservation of charges
(d) Associativity of charge
(ii) Coulomb’s law is true for
(a) atomic distances (= 10–11 m)
(b) nuclear distances (= 10–15 m)
(c) charged as well as uncharged particles
(d) all the distances

(iii) Electric lines of force about a positive sodium or potassium ions are
(a) circular anticlockwise
(b) circular clockwise
(c) radial, inwards
(d) radial, outwards

(iv) Electric flux produced by positive Potassium ions indicates that electric lines are directed
(a) outwards
(b) inwards
(c) either (a) or (b)
(d) None of these
(v) Electric flux over a surface of neuron in an electric field may be
(a) positive
(b) negative
(c) zero
(d) All of the above

4. Animals emit low frequency electric fields due to a process known as osmoregulation. This process
allows the concentration of ions (charged atoms or molecules) to flow between the inside of our b odies
and the outside. In order for our cells to stay intact, the flow of ions needs to be balanced. But balanced
doesn't necessarily mean equal. The concentration of ions within a shrimp’s body is much lower than that
of the sea water it swims in. Their voltage, or potential difference generated between the two
concentrations across "leaky" surfaces, can then be measured.

(i) The Gaussian surface for ions in the body of animals

(a) can pass through a continuous charge distribution.
(b) cannot pass through a continuous charge distribution.
(c) can pass through any system of discrete charges.
(d) can pass through a continuous charge distribution as well as any system of discrete charges.

(ii) Gauss's law is valid for

(a) any closed surface
(b) only regular close surfaces
(c) any open surface
(d) only irregular open surfaces

(iii) The electric field inside a shrimp’s body of uniform charge density is
(a) zero
(b) constant different from zero
(c) proportional to the distance from the curve
(d) None of the above

(iv) If a small piece of linear isotropic dielectric is swallowed by a shrimp and inside the body it is influenced
by an electric field of strength E, then the polarization P is
(a) independent of E
(b) inversely proportional to E
(c) directly proportional to √𝐸
(d) directly proportional to E

(v) Field due to multiple charges/ions inside Shrimp’s body at a point is found by using
I. superposition principle.
II. Coulomb’s law.
III. law of conservation of charges.
(a) I and II
(b) II and III
(c) I and III
(d) I, II and III
 5. Faraday cages shield their contents from static electric fields. An electric field is a force field
surrounding a charged particle, such as an electron or proton. These cages often look distinctly, well,
cage like. Some are as simple as chain-link fences or ice pails. Others use a fine metallic mesh.
Regardless of their exact appearance, all Faraday cages take electrostatic charges, or even certain types
of electromagnetic radiation, and distribute them around the exterior of the cage.

(i). Which of the following material can be used to make a Faraday cage?
a) Plastic
b) Glass
c) Copper
d) Wood

(ii). Example of a real-world Faraday cage is

a) car
b) plastic box
c) lightning rod
d) metal rod

(iii). What is the electrical force inside a Faraday cage when it is struck by lightning?
a) The same as the lightning
b) Half that of the lightning
c) Zero
d) A quarter of the lightning

(iv). An isolated point charge +q is placed inside the Faraday cage. Its surface must have charge equal to-
a) Zero
b) +q
c) –q
d) +2q

(v). A point charge of 2C is placed at centre of Faraday cage in the shape of cube with surface of 9 cm edge.
The number of electric field lines passing through the cube normally will be-
a) 1.9105 Nm2/C entering the surface
b) 1.9105 Nm2/C leaving the surface
c) 2.0105 Nm2/C leaving the surface
d) 2.0105 Nm2/C entering the surface
 ANSWERS

1. (i). (b)
(ii). (c) the dominant electric field is inversely proportional to r3, for large r (distance from origin).
(iii). (a) excess of electrons
(iv). (b) along a line of force, if its initial velocity is zero
(v). (c) Only IV

2. (i). (c) both electric and magnetic effects

(ii). (b) conductor, insulator
(iii). (c) increase or decrease
(iv). (a) decreases directly as the distance from the centre
(v). (d) Coulomb's law

3. (i). (c) Conservation of charges

(ii). (d) all the distances
(iii). (d) radial, outwards
(iv). (a) outwards
(v). (d) All of the above

4. (i). (d) can pass through a continuous charge distribution as well as any system of discrete charges.
(ii). (a) any closed surface
(iii). (a) zero
(iv). (d) directly proportional to E
(v). (a) I and II

5. (i). (c) Copper

(ii). (a) car
(iii). (c) zero
(iv). (a) -q
(v). (b) 1.9105 Nm2/C leaving the surface