An electric dipole consisting of two opposite charges of magnitude 5 ; C each is placed in a uniform electric field of 2 10⁵ N C ⁻¹ . If the dipole makes an angle of 30^ with the direction of the electric field and experiences a torque of 10⁻² N m , the separation distance between the two charges of the dipole is:

Step-by-step solution

The magnitude of the torque acting on an electric dipole in a uniform electric field is given by: = pE The electric dipole moment p is the product of the magnitude of either charge q and the separation distance d between them: p = qd Substituting this into the torque equation gives: = qdE Rearranging the formula to solve for the separation distance d : d = qE Given values: = 10⁻² N m q = 5 10⁻⁶ C E = 2 10⁵ N C ⁻¹ = 30^ 30^ = 0.5 Substitute the values into the rearranged equation: d = 10⁻² 5 10⁻⁶ 2 10⁵ 0.5 d = 10⁻²