Electric Potential and Energy, Conductor and

Dielectric, Capacitance
1. A 15-nC point charge is at the origin in free space. Calculate
V1 if point P1 is located at P1(2, 3,1) and (a) V = 0 at (6,
5, 4); (b) V = 0 at infinity; (c) V = 5 V at (2, 0, 4).
Ans. 20.67 V; 36.0 V; 10.89 V
2. Two point charges, 1 nC at (0, 0, 0.1) and 1 nC at (0,
0,0.1), are in free space. (a) Calculate V at P(0.3, 0, 0.4).
(b) Calculate |E| at P. (c) Now treat the two charges as a
dipole at the origin and find V at P.
Ans. a) 5.78 V (b) 25.2 V/m (c) 5.76 V
3. Four 0.8 nC point charges are located in free space at the
corners of a square 4 cm on a side. (a) Find the total
potential energy stored. (b) A fifth 0.8 nC charge is installed
at the center of the square. Again find the total stored
energy.
Ans. a) 0.779 J (b) 1.59 J
4. Find the magnitude of the current density in a sample of
silver for which = 6.17 107 S/m and e = 0.0056m2/V*s if
(a) the drift velocity is 1.5m/s ; (b) the electric field
intensity is 1 mV/m; (c) the sample is a cube 2.5 mm on a
side having a voltage of 0.4 mV between opposite faces; (d)
the sample is a cube 2.5 mm on a side carrying a total
current of 0.5 A.
Ans. 16.5 kA/m2; 61.7 kA/m2; 9.9 MA/m2; 80.0 kA/m2
5. A copper conductor has a diameter of 0.6 in. and it is 1200
ft long. Assume that it carries a total dc current of 50 A. (a)
Find the total resistance of the conductor. (b) What current
density exists in it? (c) What is the dc voltage between the
conductor ends? (d) How much power is dissipated in the
wire?
Ans. 0.035 ; 2.74 105 A/m2; 1.73 V; 86.4 W
6. A slab of dielectric material has a relative dielectric constant
of 3.8 and contains a uniform electric flux density of 8
nC/m2. If the material is lossless, find: (a) E; (b) P; (c) the
average number of dipoles per cubic meter if the average
dipole moment is 1029C m.
Ans. 238 V/m; 5.89 nC/m2; 5.89 1020 m3
7. Find the dielectric constant of a material in which the
electric flux density is four times the polarization.
8. Two parallel late capacitors have plates of an equal area,
dielectrics of relative permittivities,

r 1 and r 2 , and

plate spacing of d1 and d2. Find the ratio of their

capacitances if

r 1 / r 2 =2 and d1/d2=0.25.

Ans. 8
9. A capacitor is made of two plates with an area of 11 cm2
which are separated by a mica sheet 2 mm thick. If for mica

r =6, find its capacitance. If now, one plate of the

capacitor is moved further to give an air gap 0.5 mm wide

between plates and mica, find the change in capacitance.
Ans. 29.19 pF, 11.6 pF
10. A parallel-plate capacitor is made of two plane circular
plates separated by d cm of air. When a parallel-faced plane
sheet of glass 2 mm thick is placed between the plates, the
capacitance of the system is increased by 50% of its initial
value. What is the distance between the plates if the
dielectric constant of the glass is 6?
11. A p.d. of 10 kV is applied to the terminals of a capacitor
consisting of two circular plates, each having an area of 100
cm2 separated by a dielectric 1mm thick. If the capacitance
is 3 x 10^-4 F, calculate (a) the total electric flux in
Coulombs, (b) the electric flux density and (c) the relative
permittivity of the dielectric.
Ans. (a) 3x10^-6 C, (b) 3x10^-4C/m2, (c) 3.39
12. Two slabs of material of dielectric strength 4 and 6 and of
thickness 2 mm and 4 mm, respectively, are inserted
between the plates of a arallel-plate capacitor. Find by how
much the distance between the plates should be changed so
as to restore the potential of the capacitor to its original
value.
Ans. 5.67 mm
13. The oil dielectric to be used in a parallel-plate capacitor has
a relative permittivity of 2.3 and the maximum working
potential gradient in the oil is not to exceed 10^6 V/m.
Calculate the approximate plate area required for a
capacitance of 0.0003 F, the maximum working voltage
being 10,000 V.
Ans. 147x10^-3 m2
14. A capacitor consist of two metal plates, each 10 cm square
placed parallel and 3 mm apart. The space between the
plates is occupied by a plate insulating material 3 mm thick.
The capacitor is charged to 300 V. (a) The metal plates are
isolated from the 300 V supply and the insulating plate is
removed. What is expected to happen to the voltage
between plates. (b) If the metal plates are moved to a
distance of 6 mm apart, what is the further effect on the

voltage between them. Assume throughout that the

insulation is perfect.
15. A parallel-plate capacitor has an effecting plate area of 100
cm2 (each plate) separated by a dielectric 0.5 mm thick. Its
capacitance is 442 pF and it is raised to a potential
differences of 10 kV. Calculate from first first principle the
(a) potential gradient in the dielectric (b) electric flux
density n the dielectric and (c) the relative permittivity of
the dielectric material.
Ans. (a) 20 kV/mm, (b) 442 C/m2, (c) 2.5
16. Find the capacitance per unit length of a cylindrical
capacitor of which the two conductors have radii 2.5 and 4.5
cm and dielectric consists of two layers whose cylinder of
contact is 3.5 cm in radius, the ineer layer having a
dielectric constant of 4 and the outer one of 6.
Ans. 440 pF/m
17. A parallel-plate capacitor, having plates 100 cm2 area, has
three dielectrics 1 mm each and of permittivities 3, 4 and 6.
If a peak voltage 0f 2,000 V is applied to the plates,
calculate (a) potential gradient across each dielectric and
(b) energy stored in each dielectric.
Ans. (a) 8.89 kV/m, 6.67 kV/m, 4.44 kV/m (b) 1047, 786, 524
x10^-7 J
18. A multiple capacitor has parallel plates each of 12 cm2 and
each separated by a mica sheet 0.2 mm thick. If dielectric
constant for mica is 5, calculate the capacitance.
Ans. 265.6 pF
19. Each electrode of a capacitor of the electrolytic type has an
area of 0.0 sq. meter. The relative permittivity of the
dielectric film is 2.8. If the capacitor has a capacitor of 10
F, estimate the thickness of the dielectric film.
Ans. 4.95 x 10^-8 m
20. (a) What is the strength of the electric field between two
parallel conducting plates separated by 1.00 cm and having
a potential difference (voltage) between them of 1.5010^4
V ? (b) How far apart are two conducting plates that have an
electric field strength of 4.50103 V/m between them, if
their potential difference is 15.0 kV?
21. (a) Will the electric field strength between two parallel
conducting plates exceed the breakdown strength for air
( 3.010^6 V/m ) if the plates are separated by 2.00 mm
and a potential difference of 5.010^3 V is applied? (b) How
close together can the plates be with this applied voltage?
22. (a) A 0.500 cm diameter plastic sphere, used in a static
electricity demonstration, has a uniformly distributed 40.0
pC charge on its surface. (b) What is the potential near its

surface? What is the potential 0.5301010 m from a proton

(the average distance between the proton and electron in a
hydrogen atom)?
23. How far from a 1.00 C point charge will the potential be
100 V? At what distance will it be 2.0010^2 V?
24. An electrostatic paint sprayer has a 0.200-m-diameter metal
sphere at a potential of 25.0 kV that repels paint droplets
onto a grounded object. (a) What charge is on the sphere?
(b) What charge must a 0.100-mg drop of paint have to
arrive at the object with a speed of 10.0 m/s?
25. (a) What is the energy stored in the 10.0 F capacitor of a
heart defibrillator charged to 9.00103 V ? (b) Find the
amount of stored charge.
26. In open heart surgery, a much smaller amount of energy will
defibrillate the heart. (a) What voltage is applied to the 8.00
F capacitor of a heart defibrillator that stores 40.0 J of
energy? (b) Find the amount of stored charge.
27. Suppose you have a 9.00 V battery, a 2.00 F capacitor, and
a 7.40 F capacitor. (a) Find the charge and energy stored if
the capacitors are connected to the battery in series. (b) Do
the same for a parallel connection.
28. Point charges <2, = 1 nC, Q2 = - 2 nC, Q3 = 3 nC, and Q4 = - 4 nC are
positioned one at a time and in that order at (0, 0, 0), (1,0, 0), (0, 0, - 1 ) ,
and (0, 0, 1), respectively. Calculate the energy in the system after each
charge is positioned.
Ans. 0, - 1 8 nJ, -29.18 nJ, -68.27 nJ.
29. An electric potential field is produced by point charges 1 uC and 4 uC
located at (-2, 1, 5) and (1, 3, - 1 ) , respectively. The energy stored in the
field is
Ans. 5.14 mJ
30. Determine the work necessary to transfer charges Q1 = 1 mC and Q2 = 2 mC from
infinity to points ( 2, 6, 1) and (3, 4, 0), respectively.

31. Four capacitors, C1= 1 F, C2= 2 F, C3= 3 F, and C4= 4

F, are connected as in the figure below. A DC voltage of
100 V is applied to the external terminals a-b. Determine the
following (a) total equivalent capacitance between terminals
a-b; (b) the charge on each capacitor; and (c) the potential
difference across each capacitor.

Ans. (a) 1.913 F, (b) 34.8 C, 34.8 C, 165.5 C, 191.3 C

(c) 34.8 V, 17.4 V, 52.2 V, 47.8 V