Two charges +q and -q are situated at a certain distance. At the point exactly midway between them:
Correct answer: D. Electric field is not zero but potential is zero
- A. Electric field and potential both are zero
- B. Electric field is not zero but potential is not zero
- C. Electric field is zero but potential is not zero
- D. Electric field is not zero but potential is zero
Explanation
The electric field is a vector; at the midpoint, the fields from both charges point in the same direction (from +q to -q) and add up, so it is non-zero. The potential is a scalar; at the midpoint, the potentials V₁ = kq/r and V₂ = k(-q)/r add up to zero.
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Electrostatics describes forces between charges through Coulomb's law, electric fields and field intensity, then uses electric potential to measure energy per unit charge. Capacitors store charge and electrical energy, with capacitance depending on geometry and dielectric material, not simply on the amount of charge present.
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