NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Physics, Chapter 1 - Electric Charges and Fields

In this chapter, you’ll study electric charges and fields. We all have seen electric charges in our day to day lives such as a short circuit taking place, lightning in the sky during the thunder, and so on. Electric charge is that physical property of matter because of which another matter experiences a force when the two are placed in an electromagnetic field. Other names of electric charge are an electrical charge, electrostatic charge or just charge. It is indicated by symbol ‘q’. Two types of electric charges are positive and negative charges.

In this chapter, you’ll learn what are electric charges, conductors, insulators, what do you mean by charging by induction, some properties of electric charge, Coulomb’s Law in detail, what are forces between multiple charges, electric field, electric field lines, electric flux, electric dipole, dipole in a uniform external field, Gauss’s Law and its applications.

Thus, an in-depth study of Class 12 Physics NCERT Solutions Chapter 1 will give you a good understanding of electric charges and fields.

Let’s take a look at topics and sub-topics of Class 12 Physics Chapter 1– Electric Charges and Fields

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Electric Charge

1.3 Conductors and Insulators

1.4 Charging by Induction

1.5 Basic Properties of Electric Charge

1.5.1 Additivity of charges

1.5.2 Charge is conserved

1.5.3 Quantisation of charge

1.6 Coulomb’s Law

1.7 Forces between Multiple Charges

1.8 Electric Field

1.8.1 Electric field due to a system of charges
1.8.2 Physical significance of the electric field

1.9 Electric Field Lines

1.10 Electric Flux

1.11 Electric Dipole

1.11.1 The field of an electric dipole

1.11.2 Physical significance of dipoles

1.12 Dipole in a Uniform External Field

1.13 Continuous Charge Distribution

1.14 Gauss’s Law

1.15 Applications of Gauss’s Law

1.15.1 Field due to an infinitely long straight uniformly charged wire

1.15.2 Field due to a uniformly charged infinite plane sheet

1.15.3 Field due to a uniformly charged thin spherical shell

In Class 12 Physics Chapter 1, you will learn – 

Section 1.2 – In this section, you will study about electric charges in detail. You’ll also come across an experiment to show that like charges repel and unlike charges attract each other. You’ll also learn about negative and positive charges, the unification of electricity and magnetism, what is electroscope, working of electroscope and more.

Section 1.3 – In this section, you’ll learn what conductors and insulators are, which materials are conductors and which are insulators, characteristics of conductors and insulators and what do you mean by grounding or earthing.

Section 1.4 – In this section, you’ll examine what is charged by contact, charging by induction, experiment to show why an electrified rod attracts light objects, and more.

Section 1.5 – In this section, you’ll acquire knowledge about basic properties of electric charge such as additivity of charges¸ charge is conserved and quantisation of charge.

Section 1.6 – In this section, you will study about Coulomb’s law, propositions and applications of Coulomb’s law, writing Coulomb’s law in the vector notation and some experiments related to Coulomb’s law.

Section 1.7 – In this section, you will learn what do you mean by force between multiple charges, what is the principle of superposition, diagrams showing a system of three charges and a system of multiple charges.

Section 1.8 – In this section, you’ll go through various aspects of an electric field such as electric field due to a charge Q, and due to a charge –Q, electric field due to a system of charges and physical significance of the electric field.

Section 1.9 – In this section, you will study what are electric field lines, a field of a point charge, a diagram showing the dependence of electric field strength on the distance and its relation to the number of field lines, what are lines of force and some important properties of field lines.

Section 1.10 – In this section, you’ll learn about electric flux, the dependence of flux on the inclination θ between E and nˆ, Convention for defining normal nˆ and ∆S and more.

Section 1.11 – In this section, you’ll acquire knowledge about what is an electric dipole, the physical significance of dipoles, the field of an electric dipole when the point is on the dipole axis, and when it is in the equatorial plane of the dipole.

Section 1.12 – In this section, you’ll learn about dipole in a uniform external field, diagram showing dipole in a uniform electric field and the diagram showing electric force on a dipole.

Section 1.13 – In this section, you will acquire knowledge about continuous charge distribution and what are linear, surface and volume charge densities.

Section 1.14 – In this section, you will learn what Gauss’s law is all about, related diagrams, experiments and significant features of Gauss’s Law.

Section 1.15 – In this section, you will learn about the applications of Gauss’s Law, a field outside the shell, field inside the shell, and more.

In this chapter, you are provided with several examples with their solutions for a clear understanding of Electric Charges and Fields. To know more about NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Physics Chapter 1, you should explore the exercises mentioned in this chapter. You can also download the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 PDF, solved by our science experts.