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Electric Dipoles in Electric Fields - Torque, Work and Energy
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An electric dipole of moment $ \vec { p } $ is placed in a uniform electric field$\vec { E }$ . Then
(i) The torque on the dipole is $\vec { p } \times \vec { E } $.
(ii) The potential energy of the system is $\vec { p } \cdot \vec { E } $.
(iii) The resultant force on the dipole is zero.
Choose the correct option.
AnswerClick to flip back
A
(i), (ii) and (iii) are correct
💡 Explanation:
In a uniform electric field, $\vec { E } $, dipole experiences a torque $\vec { \tau } $ given by $\vec { \tau } =\vec { p } \times \vec { E } $ but experiences no force. The potential energy of the dipole in a uniform electric field $\vec { E } $ is $U=-\vec { p } .\vec { E } $