Define electric dipole and electric dipole moment.

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Jasmine Grover

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What is an Electric Dipole?

An electric dipole is a pair of equal and opposite electric charges separated by a small distance. This separation between the charges creates a dipole moment, which is a measure of the strength of the electric dipole.

Define electric dipole moment.

The dipole moment is defined as the product of the magnitude of one of the charges and the separation distance between the charges, multiplied by a unit vector pointing from the negative charge to the positive charge.

Mathematically, the electric dipole moment (p) is given by the formula:

μ = Q × r

where Q is the magnitude of the electric charge, and r is the distance between two charges.

Electric Dipole

Electric Dipole

The electric dipole moment is a vector quantity, meaning that it has both magnitude and direction.

  • The direction of the dipole moment is from the negative charge to the positive charge, and its magnitude depends on the strength of the charges and the distance between them.
  • Electric dipoles are important in many areas of physics and engineering, including electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and molecular biology.
  • They are used to describe the behavior of electric fields in different materials and in different situations, and are also important in the design of electrical devices and in the study of chemical bonding.

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CBSE CLASS XII Related Questions

  • 1.
    Light of which of the following colours will have the maximum energy in a photon associated with it?

      • Red light
      • Yellow light
      • Green light
      • Blue light

    • 2.
      Assertion : Photoelectric effect is a spontaneous phenomenon. Reason (R): According to the wave picture of radiation, an electron would take hours/days to absorb sufficient energy to overcome the work function and come out from a metal surface.

        • Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
        • Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
        • Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
        • Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are false.

      • 3.
        In a Young's double-slit experiment, two waves each of intensity I superpose each other and produce an interference pattern. Prove that the resultant intensities at maxima and minima are 4I and zero respectively.


          • 4.
            Consider a cylindrical conductor of length \( l \) and area of cross-section \( A \). Current \( I \) is maintained in the conductor and electrons drift with velocity \( \vec{v}_d \, (|\vec{v}_d| = \frac{eE}{m} \tau) \), where symbols have their usual meanings. Show that the conductivity of the material of the conductor is given by \[ \sigma = \frac{n e^2 \tau}{m}. \]


              • 5.
                Four long straight thin wires are held vertically at the corners A, B, C and D of a square of side \( a \), kept on a table and carry equal current \( I \). The wire at A carries current in upward direction whereas the current in the remaining wires flows in downward direction. The net magnetic field at the centre of the square will have the magnitude:

                  • \( \dfrac{\mu_0 I}{\pi a} \) and directed along OC
                  • \( \dfrac{\mu_0 I}{\pi a \sqrt{2}} \) and directed along OD
                  • \( \dfrac{\mu_0 I \sqrt{2}}{\pi a} \) and directed along OB
                  • \( \dfrac{2\mu_0 I}{\pi a} \) and directed along OA

                • 6.
                  The energy of an electron in an orbit in hydrogen atom is \( -3.4 \, \text{eV} \). Its angular momentum in the orbit will be:

                    • \( \dfrac{3h}{2\pi} \)
                    • \( \dfrac{2h}{\pi} \)
                    • \( \dfrac{h}{\pi} \)
                    • \( \dfrac{h}{2\pi} \)
                  CBSE CLASS XII Previous Year Papers

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