Question

An electric dipole is placed at the centre of a sphere. Find the electric flux passing through the sphere.

Answer 1

According to Gauss's law,electric flux depends only on the charge inside the sphere. As the net charge of dipole is zero, so the flux through the sphere is zero. But the electric field is the resultant effect due to all charges. So the electric field can not be zero at every point of sphere. Potential is also not zero on sphere but it is zero for a circle on sphere.

Answer 2

The electric flux passing through the sphere is zero.

- Electric flux is the number of electric field lines passing normally though the surface per unit area.

- According to Gauss's law, electric flux is equal to 1/ε times the net charge inside the sphere.

- As the net charge of a dipole is zero, so the flux passing through the sphere is zero.