.

XII IMPORTANT PHYSICS QUESTIONS SHEET CH 1, 2 ,3 , 8

Class 12 - Physics
Time Allowed: 4 hours Maximum Marks: 180

Section A
1. Two point charges having equal charges separated by 1 metre distance experience a force of 8 N. What will be the force
experienced by them, if they are held in water at the same distance?
(Given, Kwater = 80).
2. A spherical shell of metal has a radius of 0.25 m and carries a charge of 0.2 μ C. Calculate the electric field intensity at a
point
i. inside the shell,
ii. just outside the shell and
iii. 3.0 m from the centre of the shell.
3. a. An electrostatic field line is a continuous curve. That is, a field cannot have sudden breaks. Why not?
b. Explain why two field lines never cross each other at any point?
4. An electric dipole of length 4 cm when placed with its axis making an angle of 60° with a uniform electric field,
–
experiences a torque of 4√3 Nm. Calculate the potential energy of the dipole if it has a charge of ± 8nC.

5. If 109 electrons move out of a body to another body every second, how much time is required to get a total charge of 1 C
on the other body?
6. Estimate the total number of electrons present in 100 g of water. How much is the total negative charge carried by these
electrons? Avogadro's number = 6.02 × 1023 and molecular mass of water = 18.
7. Define the term electric flux. Write its SI unit. What is the flux due to electric field E⃗ = 3 × 103 ^i N/C through a square
of side 10 cm, when it is held normal to E⃗ ?
8. Define electric field intensity and derive an expression for it at a point on the axial line of a dipole. Also, determine its
direction.
9. State Coulomb's law in vector form and prove that F ⃗ 21
⃗
= − F 12 where letters have their usual meanings.
10. Charges q1 = 1.5 mC, q2 = 0.2 mC and q3 = -0.5 mC are placed at the points A, B and C respectively, as shown in Fig. If
r1 = 1.2 m and r2 = 0.6 m, calculate the magnitude of resultant force on q2.

11. Show that the capacitance of a spherical conductor is 4πε times the radius of the spherical conductor.
0

1/8
Page
12. An electric dipole of length 2 cm is placed with its axis making an angle of 60° to a uniform electric field of 105 NC1. If
–
it experiences a torque of 8√3 Nm, calculate the
i. the magnitude of the charge on the dipole, and
ii. the potential energy of the dipole.

13. A parallel-plate capacitor has plates of area 200 cm2 and separation between the plates 1.0 mm.
i. What potential difference will be developed if a charge of 1.0 nC is given to the capacitor?
ii. If the plate separation is now increased to 2.0 mm, what will be the new potential difference?
14. Write two properties of equipotential surfaces. Depict equipotential surfaces due to an isolated point charge. Why do the
equipotential surfaces get closer as the distance between the equipotential surfaces and the source charge decreases?
15. a. Write two properties by which electric potential is related to the electric field.
b. Two-point charges q1 and q2, separated by a distance of r12 are kept in an external electric field. Derive an expression

for the potential energy of the system of two charges in the field.
16. n identical capacitors are joined in series and the combination is given a potential difference V. If these capacitors be
disconnected and joined in parallel, what potential difference will be obtained across the combination?
17. Two charges 2μC and −2μC are placed at points A and B, 6 cm apart.
a. Identify an equipotential surface of the system.
b. What is the direction of electric field at every point on this surface?
18. Find the equivalent capacitance of the network shown in the figure, when each capacitor is of 1 μF . When the ends X
and Y are connected to a 6 V battery, find out

i. the charge and

ii. the energy stored in the network.
19. What is electrostatic potential energy? Where does it reside?
20. A hollow metal sphere is charged with 0.4 μ C of charge and has a radius of 0.1 m. Find the potential
i. at the surface
ii. inside the sphere
iii. at a distance of 0.6 m from the centre. The sphere is placed in air.
21. Two cells of emf E1 and E2 have internal resistance r1 and r2. Deduce an expression for equivalent emf of their parallel
combination.
22. Define drift velocity of electrons in a conductor connected across a battery. Figure shows variation of the drift velocity
(vd) of electrons in two copper wires A and B of different lengths versus the potential difference (V) applied across their
ends.

i. What does the slope of the line represent?

ii. Which one of the two wires is longer?

2/8
Page
23. The figure shows a circuit with three ideal batteries. Find the magnitude and direction of currents in the branches AG,
BF and CD.

24. Define internal resistance of a cell.

Prove that r = ( ,
ε
− 1) R
V

where R is the external resistance used.

25. Explain the term drift velocity of electrons in a conductor. Hence obtain the expression for the current through a
conductor in terms of drift velocity.
26. State Kirchhoff's rules. Use Kirchhoff's rules to show that no current flows in the given circuit.

27. Define the term mobility of charge carriers in a current-carrying conductor. Obtain the relation for mobility in terms of
relaxation time.
28. Two cells of emf E1 and E2 and internal resistances r1 and r2 are connected in parallel, with their terminals of the same
polarity connected together. Obtain an expression for the equivalent emf of the combination.
→
29. Define current density. Is it a scalar or a vector? An electric field E is maintained in a metallic conductor. If n be the
number of electrons (mass m, charge -e) per unit volume in the conductor and τ its relaxation time, show that the current
2

density j ⃗ = αE
⃗
, where α = (
ne
)τ .
m

30. Using Kirchhoff's rules in the given circuit, determine

i. the current I2 in the arm EF.

ii. the voltage drop across the unknown resistor R and

Section B
31. Obtain the expression for the torque τ experienced by an electric dipole of dipole moment p in a uniform electric field,
E. What will happen, if the field were not uniform?
32. Five charges, q each are placed at the corners of a regular pentagon of side a (Fig.).

3/8
Page
 a. i. What will be the electric field at O, the centre of the pentagon?
ii. What will be the electric field at O if the charge from one of the corners (say A) is removed?
iii. What will be the electric field at O if the charge q at A is replaced by –q?
b. How would your answer to (a) be affected if pentagon is replaced by n- sided regular polygon with charge q at each
of its corners?
33. Two fixed point charges +4e and +e units are separated by a distance a. Where should a third charge q be placed for it to
be in equilibrium?
34. a. Two insulated charged copper spheres A and B have their centres separated by a distance of 50 cm. What is the
mutual force of electrostatic repulsion if the charge on each is 6.5 × 10 −7
C ? The radii of A and B are negligible
compared to the distance of separation.
b. What is the force of repulsion if each sphere is charged double the above amount, and the distance between them is
halved?
35. In Fig., the electric field is directed along positive X- direction and given by
Ex = 5 A x + 2 B,

where E is in NC-1 and x is in metre. A and B are constants with dimensions.

Taking A = 10 NC-1m-1 and B = 5 NC-1m-1, calculate

i. the electric flux through the cube.
ii. net charge enclosed within the cube
36. Two-point charges qA = +3μ C and qB = -3μ C are located 20 cm apart in vacuum,

a. What is the electric field at the midpoint O of the line AB joining the two charges?
b. If a negative test charge of magnitude 1⋅ 5× 10-9 C is placed at this point, what is the force experienced by the test
charge?

37. Two large charged plane sheets of charge densities σ and –2σ C/m2 are arranged vertically with a separation of d
between them. Deduce expressions for the electric field at points
i. to the left of the first sheet,
ii. to the right of the second sheet, and
iii. between the two sheets.
38. Consider a uniform electric field E = 3 × 10
3^
i N /C .
a. What is the flux of this field through a square of 10 cm on a side whose plane is parallel to the yz plane?
b. What is the flux through the same square if the normal to its plane makes a 60° angle with the x-axis?

39. Two-point charges q1 and q2, of magnitude +10-8 C and -10-8 C, respectively, are placed 0.1 m apart. Calculate the
electric fields at points A, B, and C shown in fig.

4/8
Page
40. Define the term electric dipole moment. Is it a scalar or vector? Deduce an expression for the electric field at a point on
the equatorial plane of an electric dipole of length 2a.
41. a. Draw the equipotential surfaces due to an electric dipole.
b. Derive an expression for the electric field due to a dipole of dipole moment p ⃗ at a point on its perpendicular bisector.
42. A parallel plate capacitor, each with plate area A and separation d, is charged to a potential difference V. The battery
used to charge it is then disconnected. A dielectric slab of thickness d and dielectric constant k is now placed between
the plates. What changes, if any, will take place in
i. charge on the plates.
ii. electric field intensity between the plates,
iii. capacitance of the capacitor.
43. a. A 900 pF capacitor is charged by 100 V battery [in a fig]. How much electrostatic energy is stored by the capacitor?

b. The capacitor is disconnected from the battery and connected to another 900 pF capacitor [in a fig]. What is the
electrostatic energy stored by the system?

44. Describe schematically the equipotential surfaces corresponding to:

a. a constant electric field in the z-direction.
b. a field that uniformly increases in magnitude but remains in a constant (say, z) direction,
c. a single positive charge at the origin
d. a uniform grid consisting of long equally spaced parallel charged wires in a plane.
45. a. Find the ratio of the capacitances of a capacitor filled with two dielectrics of same dimensions but of dielectric
constants κ and κ , respectively.
1 2

b. A capacitor is filled with two dielectrics of the same dimensions but of dielectric constants κ = 2 and κ = 3. Find
1 2

the ratio of capacities in two possible arrangements.

5/8
Page
46. Derive the expression for the electric potential at any point P, at distance r from the centre of an electric dipole, making
angle a, with its axis.
47. Two point charges of +3μ C and -3μ C are placed 2 × 10-3 m apart from each other. Calculate:
i. electric field and electric potential at a distance of 0.6 m from the dipole in a broad-side-on position
ii. electric field and electric potential at the same point after rotating the dipole through 90°.
48. Define the term electric dipole moment. Derive an expression for the total work done in rotating the dipole through an
angle θ in uniform electric field E⃗.
49. Find the expression for the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor of area A and plate separation d if (i) a dielectric slab
of thickness f and (ii) a metallic slab of thickness f, where (t < d) by one between the plates of the capacitor. In which
case would the capacitance be more and why?
50. Two parallel plate capacitors X and Y have the same area of the plates and same separation between them. X has air
between the plates while Y contains a dielectric medium of ε r = 4 .

i. Calculate the capacitance of each capacitor if equivalent of the combination is 4 µF.

ii. Calculate the potential difference between the plates of X and Y.
iii. What is the ratio of electrostatic energy stored in X and Y?
51. A cell of emf E and internal resistance r is connected across a variable resistor R. Plot a graph showing variation of
terminal voltage V of the cell versus the current I. Using the plot, show the emf of the cell and its internal resistance can
be determined.
52. Two cells of emf E1, E2 and internal resistances r1 and r2 respectively are connected in parallel as shown in the figure.

Deduce the expressions for

i. the equivalent emf of the combination.
ii. the equivalent resistance of the combination.
53. State Kirchhoff's rules. Use these rules to write the expressions for the currents I1, I2 and I3 in the circuit diagram shown
in figure below.

6/8
Page
54. Two cells of EMFs 1 V, 2 V and internal resistance 2 Ω and 1 Ω respectively are connected in
i. series,
ii. parallel. What should be the external resistance in the circuit so that the current through the resistance be the same in
the two cases? In which case, more heat is generated in the cells?
55. Define resistivity of a conductor. Plot a graph showing the variation of resistivity with temperature for a metallic
conductor. How does one explain such a behaviour, using the mathematical expression of the resistivity of a material.
56. An ammeter of resistance 0.80Ω can measure current up to 1.0 A.
i. What must be the value of shunt resistance to enable the ammeter to measure current up to 5.0 A?
ii. What is the combined resistance of the ammeter and the shunt?
57. Calculate the value of the resistance R in the circuit shown in the figure so that the current in the circuit is 0.2 A. What
would be the potential difference between points B and E?

58. a. Use Kirchhoff’s rules to obtain the balance condition in Wheatstone bridge.
b. Give one practical application that is based on this principle.
59. Derive an expression for drift velocity of free electrons in a conductor in terms of relaxation time.
60. State the two rules that serve as general rules for analysis of electric circuit. Use these rules to write the three equations
that may be used to obtain the values of the three unknown currents in the branches of the circuit given below:

61. What are matter waves? Find the ratio of de Broglie wavelengths associated with proton and alpha particles when both
particles
a. are accelerated through the same potential difference.
b. have same velocity.
62. Find the ratio of the de Broglie wavelengths associated with an alpha particle and a proton, if both
a. have the same speeds,
b. have the same kinetic energy,

7/8
Page
 c. are accelerated through the same potential difference.
63. i. How are electromagnetic waves produced?
ii. How do you convince yourself that electromagnetic waves carry energy and momentum?
64. Electromagnetic waves of wavelengths λ 1, λ2 and λ are used in radar systems, in water purifiers and in remote
3

switches of TV, respectively.

a. Identify the electromagnetic waves, and
b. Write one source of each of them.
65. a. Arrange the following electromagnetic radiation in the ascending order of their frequencies:
X-rays, microwaves, gamma rays, radio waves
b. Write two uses of any two of these radiation.

66. Suppose that the electric field amplitude of an electromagnetic wave E0 = 120 NC-1 and that its frequency is ν = 50.0
MHz.
i. Determine, B0, ω, k, and λ .
ii. Find expressions for E and B.
67. i. Name the e.m. waves which are used for the treatment of certain forms of cancer. Write their frequency range.
ii. Thin ozone layer on top of the stratosphere is crucial for human survival. Why?
iii. An e.m. wave exerts pressure on the surface on which it is incident. Justify.

68. In a plane electromagnetic wave, the electric field oscillates sinusoidally at a frequency of 2.0 × 1010 Hz and amplitude

48 V m-1.
a. What is the wavelength of the wave?
b. What is the amplitude of the oscillating magnetic field?
c. Show that the average energy density of the E field equals the average energy density of the B field. [c = 3 × 108 ms-
1]

69. Define displacement current. What role does it play while charging a capacitor by dc source. Is the value of displacement
current same as that of the conduction current? Explain.
70. a. Depict a plane electromagnetic wave propagating along the x-axis. Write the expressions for its oscillating electric
and magnetic fields.
b. Write three characteristics of electromagnetic waves.

8/8
Page