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In Class 12 Physics, this topic introduces continuous charge distribution, where electric charge is spread smoothly along a line, over a surface, or throughout a volume rather than concentrated at separate points. Students learn linear, surface, and volume charge densities and use small charge elements with integration to calculate total charge and electric fields. The topic strengthens their understanding of superposition and prepares them to analyse charged rods, rings, discs, sheets, and other extended systems in the chapter Electric Charges and Fields.
TOPIC PRACTICE
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25 questions
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Easy · Level 10View options
Three-tenths
One-half
Seven-tenths
The whole charge
Easy · Level 10View options
The longer part
The shorter part
Both have the same density
The density becomes zero after cutting
Easy · Level 10View options
The larger-area part
The smaller-area part
Both have the same density
The density disappears
Easy · Level 10View options
The largest-volume part
The smallest-volume part
All three have the same density
The density becomes infinite
Easy · Level 10View options
Positive
Negative
Zero
Signless
Easy · Level 10View options
Positive
Negative
Zero
Always signless
Easy · Level 10View options
The density will be zero
The density will be positive
The density will be negative
The density will be infinite
Easy · Level 10View options
Zero
Positive
Negative
Infinite
Easy · Level 10View options
Positive 10 C
Negative 10 C
Negative 2 C
Zero
Easy · Level 10View options
Positive 12 C
Negative 12 C
Negative 7 C
Zero
Easy · Level 10View options
Positive 3 C/m
Negative 3 C/m
Negative 18 C/m
Zero
Easy · Level 10View options
Small length
Small area
Small volume
Small time
Easy · Level 10View options
By multiplying volume density with small volume
By multiplying linear density with small area
By multiplying surface density with small length
Only from total length
Easy · Level 10View options
From surface density and small area
From volume density and small volume
From linear density and small length
From time and speed
Easy · Level 10View options
Positive
Negative
Zero
Infinite
Easy · Level 10View options
They will cancel
They will add with direction
They must be zero
They will change the density
Easy · Level 10View options
Double
Half
Zero
Infinite
Easy · Level 10View options
Linear density because the sphere is round
Surface density because charge is on the surface
Volume density because the sphere is three-dimensional
No density
Easy · Level 10View options
Because charge is spread through the volume, not only on the surface
Because a sphere has no surface
Because total charge is zero
Because density has no meaning
Easy · Level 10View options
Zero
Positive
Negative
Infinite
Easy · Level 10View options
Zero
Positive
Negative
Infinite
Easy · Level 10View options
+5 C/m
-5 C/m
-40 C/m
0 C/m
Easy · Level 10View options
+15 C
-15 C
-5 C
0 C
Easy · Level 10View options
+21 C
-21 C
-10 C
0 C
Easy · Level 10View options
Uniform surface distribution
Non-uniform surface distribution
Linear distribution
Volume distribution
Question 1EasyLevel 10
In a uniform volume distribution, a part has a volume equal to seven-tenths of the total volume. What fraction of the total charge is contained in that part?
Correct answer: C
The governing concept is uniform volume charge density, defined as charge per unit volume: ρ = Q/V. Since ρ is constant, the charge in any part is proportional to its volume. Thus Q_part/Q_total = V_part/V_total = (7/10)V/V = 7/10. Therefore option C is correct. Options A and B use incorrect fractions, while option D would apply only if the part had the entire volume.
A wire with uniform linear charge density is cut into two parts of unequal lengths. Which part has the greater linear charge density?
Correct answer: C
Linear charge density is defined as λ = Q/L, the charge per unit length. For a uniform wire, every segment initially has the same λ. Cutting changes the total charge and length of each piece in the same proportion, so their ratio remains unchanged: Q₁/L₁ = Q₂/L₂ = λ. Hence both pieces have equal linear density, making option C correct. Length changes total charge, not density.
A uniformly surface-charged plate is divided into two parts with unequal areas. Which part has the greater surface charge density?
Correct answer: C
Surface charge density is σ = Q/A, or charge per unit area. Because the original plate is uniformly charged, every portion retains the same σ after division, provided the charge distribution is not disturbed. The larger piece contains more total charge because it has greater area, but its charge per unit area is unchanged. Therefore option C is correct; confusing total charge with density leads to option A or B.
A solid with uniform volume charge density is divided into three parts of unequal volumes. Which part has the greater volume charge density?
Correct answer: C
Volume charge density is ρ = Q/V, the charge contained per unit volume. In a uniformly charged solid, cutting it into pieces does not alter this local ratio. A larger piece carries more total charge and a smaller piece carries less, but Q/V remains equal for every piece: Q₁/V₁ = Q₂/V₂ = Q₃/V₃ = ρ. Therefore option C is correct, not the option based only on total charge.
In a uniform surface charge distribution, the surface charge density is negative and the area is positive. What is the sign of the total charge?
Correct answer: B
For a uniform surface distribution, the total charge is Q = σA. Area is a geometrical measure and is positive for a nonzero surface. Therefore, if σ < 0, multiplication by A > 0 gives Q < 0. Option B is correct. The charge would be zero only if the density or area were zero; it is not signless because charge is an algebraic quantity with a sign.
In a uniform linear charge distribution, the total charge is negative and the length is positive. What is the sign of the linear charge density?
Correct answer: B
For a uniform linear distribution, linear charge density is defined as λ = Q/L. Since the total charge Q is negative and the length L is a positive geometrical quantity, their quotient is negative: λ < 0. Thus option B is correct. A zero density would require zero total charge, while the density is not signless because it records the sign of charge per unit length.
On a uniform surface, the total charge is zero and the area is non-zero. What conclusion follows about the surface density?
Correct answer: A
For a uniform surface distribution, surface charge density is constant and is related to total charge by sigma = Q/A. Since the given total charge Q is zero while the area A is nonzero, division gives sigma = 0/A = 0. Therefore option A is correct. A positive or negative density would produce a corresponding nonzero total charge over a nonzero area, while an infinite density is neither implied nor physically justified by these conditions.
If linear density is zero in a uniform linear distribution and the length is non-zero, what is the total charge?
Correct answer: A
For a uniform linear charge distribution, total charge is Q = lambda L, where lambda is the constant charge per unit length and L is the length. Substituting lambda = 0 gives Q = 0 multiplied by L = 0, even though L is nonzero. Therefore A is correct. A positive or negative result would require a nonzero signed density, and an infinite charge cannot be inferred from a finite length and zero density.
If the volume charge density is −2 C/m³ and the volume is 5 m³, what is the total charge?
Correct answer: B
For a uniform volume charge distribution, total charge is obtained from Q = ρV, where ρ is volume charge density and V is volume. Substituting the values gives Q = (−2 C/m³)(5 m³) = −10 C. The cubic-metre units cancel, leaving coulombs. Therefore option B is correct; option A incorrectly reverses the sign, while C and D do not use the full volume correctly.
In a uniform surface charge distribution, the surface density is −3 C/m² and the area is 4 m². What is the total charge?
Correct answer: B
For a uniform surface charge distribution, the total charge is Q = σA, where σ is surface charge density and A is the area. Here Q = (−3 C/m²)(4 m²) = −12 C, because the square-metre units cancel. Thus option B is correct. Option A has the wrong sign, option C comes from an incorrect operation, and option D ignores the nonzero density.
A wire has total charge −18 C and length 6 m. What is its uniform linear charge density?
Correct answer: B
Uniform linear charge density is defined as charge per unit length, so λ = Q/L. Using the given values, λ = (−18 C)/(6 m) = −3 C/m. The negative sign indicates that the charge is negative, and division by length gives the required per-metre unit. Therefore option B is correct; A loses the sign, C forgets to divide, and D is unsupported.
If the charge density of a distribution is given per square metre, by which measure should it be multiplied to obtain the charge of a small element?
Correct answer: B
A density expressed in coulombs per square metre is surface charge density, written as σ. For a small surface element with area dA, the charge is dq = σ dA. The square-metre unit cancels correctly, leaving coulombs. Therefore option B is correct. A would apply to linear density, C to volume density, and D has no role in defining charge from surface density.
If the charge density of a distribution is given per cubic metre, how is the charge of a small element obtained?
Correct answer: A
A density given in coulombs per cubic metre is volume charge density, denoted by ρ. For a differential volume dV, the charge element is dq = ρ dV. Multiplying the units C/m³ by m³ leaves C, confirming the relation. Thus option A is correct; the other choices mismatch linear or surface density with the wrong geometric measure.
If the charge density of a distribution is given per metre, how is the charge of a small element obtained?
Correct answer: C
Charge density measured in coulombs per metre is linear charge density, represented by λ. For a small length dl of the distribution, the corresponding charge is dq = λ dl. The units (C/m)(m) give coulombs, confirming the formula. Therefore option C is correct; area and volume measures belong to surface and volume densities, while time and speed are irrelevant.
If half the area of a surface has positive charge density and the other half has equal-magnitude negative charge density, what is the total charge?
Correct answer: C
The total surface charge is Q = ∫σ dA. Let each half have area A/2, with densities +σ₀ and −σ₀. Then Q = (+σ₀)(A/2) + (−σ₀)(A/2) = σ₀A/2 − σ₀A/2 = 0. Equal areas and equal density magnitudes make the contributions cancel exactly. Thus option C is correct; neither a positive nor a negative net charge remains.
If the fields due to small charge elements are in the same direction, which statement about the total field is correct?
Correct answer: B
Electric field is a vector quantity, so its contributions must be combined using vector addition. When several field elements point in the same direction, their components along that direction have the same sign and add in magnitude. For example, parallel contributions E1 and E2 give a resultant E = E1 + E2 in that direction. Cancellation occurs only for suitable opposite components, not for equal-direction fields. Hence B is correct.
If the fields due to small charge elements are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, what is their total contribution?
Correct answer: C
The governing rule is vector cancellation. If two field contributions have equal magnitudes E and opposite directions, they can be represented as +E and −E along one chosen axis. Their resultant is E_total = E + (−E) = 0. Such pairwise cancellation commonly follows from symmetry, although the total field is zero only for the specified contributions or complete symmetric arrangement. Therefore C is correct; doubling would require the same direction.
Charge is distributed over the surface of a uniformly charged sphere. Which density is correct, and why?
Correct answer: B
Charge density is classified according to the dimensional region in which charge is distributed, not merely according to the shape of the object. For charge confined to a spherical surface, the appropriate quantity is surface charge density σ = dQ/dA; for a uniformly charged complete spherical surface, σ = Q/(4πR²). Volume density ρ would apply to charge throughout the interior, while linear density λ applies to a line. Hence B is correct.
Uniform charge is spread throughout the interior of a solid sphere. Why is this not called a surface distribution?
Correct answer: A
The name of a charge distribution depends on where the charge exists. Surface distribution means charge is restricted to a two-dimensional boundary and is described by σ = dQ/dA. In this question, charge occupies the entire three-dimensional interior of the solid sphere, so it is a volume distribution described by ρ = dQ/dV; for uniform density, ρ = Q/(4πR³/3). Thus A is correct.
If a uniform surface distribution has non-zero area but zero total charge, what is its surface charge density?
Correct answer: A
Surface charge density for a uniform distribution is defined as σ = Q/A. The problem states Q = 0 and A is non-zero, so direct substitution gives σ = 0/A = 0. Equivalently, the integral relation Q = ∫σdA becomes Q = σA for uniform σ; with a finite non-zero area, zero total charge requires σ = 0. A positive or negative uniform density would produce a non-zero total charge, so A is correct.
If the uniform linear charge density of a wire is zero and its length is non-zero, what is the total charge on the wire?
Correct answer: A
The governing relation for a uniformly charged line is Q = lambda L, where Q is total charge, lambda is linear charge density, and L is length. Here lambda = 0 while L is finite and non-zero, so Q = 0 multiplied by L = 0 C. Thus option A is correct. The length does not create charge by itself; options B and C wrongly assign a sign, while D is impossible for zero density.
A wire has a total charge of -40 C and a length of 8 m. What is its uniform linear charge density?
Correct answer: B
For a uniform linear distribution, the linear charge density is lambda = Q/L. Substituting the given values gives lambda = (-40 C)/(8 m) = -5 C m^-1. Therefore option B is correct. The negative sign must be retained because the total charge is negative. Option A loses that sign, option C fails to divide by length, and option D ignores the non-zero charge.
A surface has a uniform surface charge density of -5 C/m² over an area of 3 m². What is the total charge?
Correct answer: B
For a uniform surface distribution, total charge is calculated from Q = sigma A, where sigma is surface charge density and A is area. Hence Q = (-5 C/m²)(3 m²) = -15 C. Option B is correct because the area units cancel and the negative sign is preserved. Option A reverses the sign, option C reports the density instead of total charge, and D incorrectly assumes cancellation.
A volume has a uniform volume charge density of -3 C/m³ and a volume of 7 m³. What is the total charge in the volume?
Correct answer: B
The governing equation for a uniform volume charge distribution is Q = rho V, where rho is volume charge density and V is volume. Substitution gives Q = (-3 C/m³)(7 m³) = -21 C. Therefore option B is correct. The cubic-metre units cancel, and the negative sign indicates net negative charge. Option A changes the sign, C uses incorrect arithmetic, and D disregards the stated density.
If the surface charge density is greater near the edge of a surface than elsewhere, what type of distribution is it?
Correct answer: B
A surface charge distribution is called uniform only when its surface charge density sigma has the same value at every position on the surface. If sigma becomes greater near the edge, it varies with position, so the distribution is non-uniform. Therefore option B is correct. Option A contradicts the stated variation, while C describes charge distributed along a line and D describes charge distributed throughout a volume; neither matches a surface whose density changes from place to place.
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