Coulomb's Law - NEET Physics Questions
Question 11: moderate

An oil drop, carrying six electronic charges and having a mass of \( 1.6\times 10^{-12}\) g, falls with some terminal velocity in a medium. What magnitude of vertical electric field is required to make the drop move upward with the same speed as it was formerly moving downward with? Ignore buoyancy :

1. \[ 10^{5} NC^{-1}\]
2. \[10^{4} NC^{-1} \]
3. \[ 3.3\times 10^{4} NC^{-1}\]
4. \[3.3\times 10^{5} NC^{-1}\]
View Answer

To make the oil drop move upward with the same terminal velocity it had while moving downward, the electric force upward must balance the gravitational force downward.

Solution Steps:

1. Given Data:
- Mass of the drop, \( m = 1.6 \times 10^{-12} \, \text{g} = 1.6 \times 10^{-15} \, \text{kg} \)
- Charge on the drop, \( q = 6 \times e = 6 \times 1.6 \times 10^{-19} \, \text{C} = 9.6 \times 10^{-19} \, \text{C} \)
- Gravitational force, \( F_{\text{gravity}} = mg \), where \( g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)

2. Gravitational Force:
\[
F_{\text{gravity}} = (1.6 \times 10^{-15}) \times 9.8 = 1.568 \times 10^{-14} \, \text{N}
\]

3. Electric Field Required:
- To counteract this gravitational force, the electric force \( F_{\text{electric}} = qE \) must equal \( F_{\text{gravity}} \).
\[
qE = F_{\text{gravity}}
\]
\[
E = \frac{F_{\text{gravity}}}{q} = \frac{1.568 \times 10^{-14}}{9.6 \times 10^{-19}} = 3.3 \times 10^4 \, \text{N/C}
\]

Conclusion:
The required electric field magnitude is \( 3.3 \times 10^4 \, \text{N/C} \).

Question 12: difficult

Two pith balls each with mass m are suspended from insulating threads. When the pith balls are given equal positive charge Q, they hang in equilibrium as shown. We now increase the charge on the left pith ball from Q to 2Q while leaving its mass essentiality unchanged. Which of the following diagrams best represents the new equilibrium configuration?

1.
2.
3.
4.
View Answer

From Newton's Third Law of Motion forces acting on both the charges are equal.

\[ tan \theta = \frac{F}{mg} \]

So angle made by them with vertical will also be equal. But the value of θ will increase because force is increasing due to increase in charge.

Question 13: difficult

Four charges q1 = lμC, q2 = 2μC , q3 = 3μC and q4 = 4μC are placed at (0, 0, 0), (1m, 0, 0) (0, 1m, 0) and (0, 0, 1m) respectively. Let\( \overrightarrow{F_{i}} \)be the net force acting on i^{th} charge of the given charges then \( \Sigma \overrightarrow{F_{i}} = ……… :\)

1. 0.018 N
2. 0.02 N
3. 0.036 N
4. zero
View Answer

To find \(\sum \overrightarrow{F_i}\), the vector sum of forces acting on each charge in the system, we can apply Newton's third law:

1. Newton's Third Law:
- For any pair of charges, the force exerted by one charge on another is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted by the second charge on the first.

2. Net Force on System:
- Since each pair of charges in the system exerts equal and opposite forces on each other, all internal forces cancel out in pairs.

3. Resultant Force:
- As a result, the net force on the entire system of charges is zero.

Conclusion:

The total force \(\sum \overrightarrow{F_i} = 0\).

Question 14: difficult

Two equal negative charges each –q, are placed at points (0, a) and (0,–a) on y–axis. A positive charge q is released from point (2a, 0). This charge will be :

1. execute SHM about the origin
2. oscillate but not execute SHM
3. move towards origin and will become stationary
4. execute SHM along y-axis
View Answer

To analyze the motion of the positive charge \( +q \) released from point \( (2a, 0) \), let's consider the forces acting on it due to the two fixed negative charges \( -q \) at points \( (0, a) \) and \( (0, -a) \).

Solution Steps:

1. Symmetry of Forces:
- Each negative charge \( -q \) exerts an attractive force on \( +q \) along the line joining them.
- Due to symmetry, the vertical components of these forces (along the y-axis) will cancel out, while the horizontal components (along the x-axis) will add up, pulling \( +q \) toward the y-axis.

2. Resultant Force Direction:
- The resultant force always points toward the y-axis but varies with distance from it.
- The force does not follow a linear restoring force law (i.e., it’s not proportional to displacement), which is required for simple harmonic motion (SHM).

3. Motion of \( +q \):
- The charge \( +q \) will oscillate back and forth across the y-axis due to the attractive forces from the two fixed charges.
- However, since the force is not proportional to displacement, the motion is **not SHM**.

Conclusion:
The positive charge \( +q \) will oscillate but will not execute SHM.

Question 15: moderate

The force between 2 charges 0.06 cm apart is 5 N. Then the force when they are brought 0.01 cm closer will be :

1. 7.2 N
2. 180 N
3. 4.8 N
4. 66 N
View Answer

The force between two charges varies inversely with the square of the distance between them, according to Coulomb's law:

\[
F \propto \frac{1}{r^2}
\]

Solution Steps:

1. Initial and Final Distances:
- Initial distance \( r_1 = 0.06 \, \text{cm} \)
- Final distance \( r_2 = 0.06 - 0.01 = 0.05 \, \text{cm} \)

2. Force Ratio:
\[
\frac{F_2}{F_1} = \frac{r_1^2}{r_2^2}
\]

3. Substitute Values:
\[
\frac{F_2}{5} = \frac{(0.06)^2}{(0.05)^2}
\]
\[
F_2 = 5 \cdot \frac{0.0036}{0.0025} = 5 \cdot 1.44 = 7.2 \, \text{N}
\]

Conclusion:
The new force \( F_2 \) is \( 7.2 \, \text{N} \).

Question 16: moderate

Dimensions of \( \frac{Kq^{2}}{Gm^{2}} \) are where \( K=\frac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_{0}} \)

1. \[ \left[ M^{1}L^{1}T^{-2} \right]\]
2. \[ \left[ M^{1}L^{-3}T^{-2} \right] \]
3. \[ \left[ M^{1}L^{3}T^{-2} \right]\]
4. No Dimensions
View Answer

To find the dimensions of \(\frac{Kq^{2}}{Gm^{2}}\), we analyze the dimensions of each component.

1. Dimensions of \( K \):
- Given \( K = \frac{1}{4\pi \varepsilon_0} \), where \(\varepsilon_0\) is the permittivity of free space.
- \( K \) has dimensions of \(\left[ \text{Force} \cdot \text{Distance}^2 \cdot \text{Charge}^{-2} \right] = \left[ M^1 L^3 T^{-4} A^{-2} \right] \).

2. Dimensions of \( q^2 \):
- The charge \( q \) has dimensions \(\left[ A T \right]\), so \( q^2 \) has dimensions \(\left[ A^2 T^2 \right]\).

3. Dimensions of \( G \):
- \( G \) is the gravitational constant with dimensions \(\left[ M^{-1} L^3 T^{-2} \right]\).

4. Dimensions of \( m^2 \):
- The mass \( m \) has dimensions \(\left[ M \right]\), so \( m^2 \) has dimensions \(\left[ M^2 \right]\).

5. Combine Everything:
- Now, \(\frac{Kq^2}{Gm^2}\) has dimensions:
\[
\frac{\left[ M^1 L^3 T^{-4} A^{-2} \right] \cdot \left[ A^2 T^2 \right]}{\left[ M^{-1} L^3 T^{-2} \right] \cdot \left[ M^2 \right]}
\]

6. Simplify:
- This simplifies to \(\left[ M^0 L^0 T^0 A^0 \right] = \text{No Dimensions}\).

Conclusion:
The expression \(\frac{Kq^2}{Gm^2}\) is dimensionless.

Question 17: difficult

Charge Q is divided into two parts which are then kept some distance apart. The force between them will be maximum if the two parts are :

1. Q/2 each
2. Q/4 and 3Q/4
3. Q/3 and 2Q/3
4. e and (Q – e), where e = electronic charge
View Answer

To maximize the force between two charges \( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \) obtained by dividing a charge \( Q \) into two parts, we can use Coulomb's law:

\[
F = k \frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2}
\]

where \( r \) is the distance between them.

Steps:

1. Set up the variables:
Let \( q_1 = x \) and \( q_2 = Q - x \).

2. Express the force:
Substitute \( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \) into the formula:
\[
F = k \frac{x (Q - x)}{r^2}
\]

3. Maximize \( F \):
To find the maximum force, take the derivative of \( F \) with respect to \( x \) and set it to zero:
\[
\frac{dF}{dx} = k \frac{Q - 2x}{r^2} = 0
\]

Solving \( Q - 2x = 0 \) gives \( x = \frac{Q}{2} \).

4. Conclusion:
The force is maximum when each part is \( \frac{Q}{2} \).

Question 18: moderate

Four charges are placed at the circumference of the dial of a clock as shown in figure. If the clock has only hour hand, then the resultant force on a positive charge q0 placed at the centre, points in the direction which shows the time as :

1. 1:30
2. 7:30
3. 4:30
4. 10:30
View Answer

To determine the direction of the resultant force on the positive charge \(q_0\) placed at the center due to the four charges on the clock face, we analyze the forces exerted by each charge.

Solution Steps:

1. Forces by Opposing Pairs:
- The positive charges at 12 and 3 exert a repulsive force on \(q_0\), while the negative charges at 6 and 9 exert an attractive force on \(q_0\).
- Each pair of opposing charges creates forces with equal magnitudes but different directions.

2. Force Components:
- The force due to the charges at 12 and 6 (along the vertical line) will cancel each other out in the vertical direction, as they are equal and opposite.
- Similarly, the forces due to the charges at 3 and 9 (along the horizontal line) will cancel each other out in the horizontal direction.

3. Resultant Force:
- Since the charges at 12 and 9 are positive and repulsive, they push \(q_0\) away from them.
- The vector sum of these forces results in a net force pointing diagonally between the 6 and 9 positions.

4. Direction:
- The resultant force points toward the 7:30 position, as this is the direction of the net vector resulting from the combination of all four forces.

Thus, the direction of the resultant force on \(q_0\) points to 7:30.

Question 19: difficult

Two charges each of magnitude Q are fixed at 2a distance apart. A third charge (–q of mass ‘m’) is placed at the mid point of the two charges; now –q charge is slightly displaced perpendicular to the line joining the charges then find its time period:

1. \[2\pi\sqrt{\frac{ma^{3}\pi\epsilon_{0}}{Qq}}\]
2. \[2\pi\sqrt{\frac{2ma^{3}\pi\epsilon_{0}}{Qq}}\]
3. \[\pi\sqrt{\frac{ma^{3}\pi\epsilon_{0}}{Qq}}\]
4. \[\pi\sqrt{\frac{2ma^{3}\pi\epsilon_{0}}{Qq}}\]
View Answer

To find the time period of oscillation of the third charge \(-q\) when displaced perpendicular to the line joining the two charges of magnitude \(+Q\), we can follow these steps:

1. Restoring Force: When the charge \(-q\) is displaced by a small distance \(y\) perpendicular to the line joining the two charges, the net force on it due to the two fixed charges \(+Q\) has a restoring nature and acts toward the equilibrium position.

2. Approximation: For small \(y\), the restoring force \(F\) is proportional to \(y\), making it a simple harmonic motion (SHM) problem.

3. Electric Field: The electric field at the midpoint due to each charge \(+Q\) is \(E = \frac{Q}{4\pi\epsilon_0 (a^2 + y^2)}\). Using \(y \ll a\), we approximate the force on \(-q\) by expanding for small \(y\), resulting in a force \(F = -k y\), where \(k = \frac{2Qq}{4\pi \epsilon_0 a^3}\).

4. Angular Frequency: For SHM, the angular frequency \(\omega\) is \(\sqrt{\frac{k}{m}} = \sqrt{\frac{2Qq}{4\pi \epsilon_0 a^3 m}}\).

5. Time Period: The time period \(T\) is given by:
\[
T = \frac{2\pi}{\omega} = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{2ma^3 \pi \epsilon_0}{Qq}}
\]