An electric dipole is placed with its axis making an angle θ with an uniform electric field. The potential energy will be minimum when θ
Question
An electric dipole is placed with its axis making an angle θ with an uniform electric field. The potential energy will be minimum when θ
Solution
The potential energy (U) of an electric dipole in an external electric field is given by the equation:
U = -pEcosθ
where:
- p is the dipole moment,
- E is the magnitude of the electric field, and
- θ is the angle between the dipole moment and the electric field.
The potential energy is minimum when the value of cosθ is maximum. The maximum value of cosθ is 1, which occurs when θ is 0 degrees.
So, the potential energy of an electric dipole is minimum when its axis makes an angle of 0 degrees with the uniform electric field.
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