Question

What is the electric potential energy when an electric dipole is placed parallel to the electric field?

Answer 1

Answer:

The potential energy U of an electric dipole in an electric field is conventionally given byU = - p.E = - p E cos thetaWhere p is the electric dipole moment, E is the electric field, and theta the angle between the directions of p and E.According to this the potential energy is - pE when the dipole is aligned with the field direction, 0 when it is rotated perpendicular to the field and + pE when it's direction is opposite to that of the field. Recall that the potential energy is always considered relative to a reference

Answer 2

Explanation:

Consider a dipole with charges q1 = +q and q2 = -q placed in a uniform electric field as shown in the figure above. ... From the above equation, we can see that the potential energy of dipole placed in an external field is zero when the angle Ɵ is equal to 90° or when the dipole makes an angle of 90°.