An electric dipole of dipole moment p is placed at the origin and aligned along the x-axis. A test charge q₀ is moved from the point (0, a, 0) to the point (0, b, 0) . The work done by the electrostatic force during this process is:

Step-by-step solution

The electric dipole is aligned along the x-axis. The y-z plane represents the equatorial plane of the dipole. The electric potential at any point on the equatorial plane of a dipole is zero. The points (0, a, 0) and (0, b, 0) both lie on the y-axis, which is entirely within the equatorial plane. Thus, the potential at both points is zero ( V_i = 0 and V_f = 0 ). The work done by the electrostatic force in moving the test charge q₀ is given by W = -q₀ V = -q₀ (V_f - V_i) = 0 . Therefore, the work done is zero. Answe