Question

Dipole moment depends on _______

(a) Charge only

(b) Charge and length of a dipole

(c) Charge, length of a dipole and dielectric constant of the medium

(d) Charge and dielectric constant of the medium

This question was posed to me by my school principal while I was bunking the class.

This is a very interesting question from Electric Dipole topic in section Charges and Fields of Physics – Class 12

Answer 1

Correct option is (b) Charge and length of a dipole

Easy explanation: Dipole is defined as two equal but opposite charges, kept at a small distance and having a dipole moment. The dipole moment is simply the product of the electric charge and length of the dipole. The dielectric constant of the medium doesn’t affect the dipole moment i.e. dipole moment of an electric dipole will be the same in water as well as in the air.