A dipole of moment p is placed in a uniform external field E. The torq…

Question

A dipole of moment p is placed in a uniform external field E. The torque on the dipole is:

Accepted Answer

B. τ = p × E (magnitude pE sin θ; aligns p with E)

**Torque τ = p × E** (cross product).
|τ| = pE sin θ, where θ is angle between p and E. Tends to **align p with E**.
**Net force = 0 in uniform E** (because forces on +q and −q are equal and opposite).
In a **non-uniform field**, the dipole experiences both torque AND net force.

Answer

τ = p · E

Answer

τ = pE always

Answer

τ = 0 always (no net force in uniform field)

A dipole of moment p is placed in a uniform external field E. The torque on the dipole is:

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