An electric dipole with dipole moment is in a uniform external electric field . Show that for the stable orientation in part (b), the dipole's own electric field tends to oppose the external field. Note: Part (b) asked which of the orientations in part (a) is stable, and which is unstable? (Hint: Consider a small rotation away from the equilibrium position and see what happens.) Also, part (a) asked to find the orientations of the dipole for which the torque on the dipole is zero.
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Dipole Moment
Problem 56
Textbook Question
The dipole moment of the water molecule (H2O) is Cm. Consider a water molecule located at the origin whose dipole moment points in the -direction. A chlorine ion (Cl-), of charge C, is located at m. Find the magnitude and direction of the electric force that the water molecule exerts on the chlorine ion. Is this force attractive or repulsive? Assume that is much larger than the separation between the charges in the dipole, so that the approximate expression for the electric field along the dipole axis derived in Example can be used.

1
Step 1: Understand the problem setup. The water molecule has a dipole moment pointing in the +x direction, and the chlorine ion is located at a distance x = 3.00×10^{-9} m along the x-axis. The goal is to calculate the magnitude and direction of the electric force exerted by the dipole on the ion, and determine whether the force is attractive or repulsive.
Step 2: Recall the approximate expression for the electric field along the axis of a dipole. For a point along the dipole axis at a distance x (where x >> d, the separation between charges in the dipole), the electric field is given by: , where p is the dipole moment and x is the distance from the dipole.
Step 3: Substitute the given values into the formula for the electric field. The dipole moment p = 6.17×10^{-30} Cm, and the distance x = 3.00×10^{-9} m. Plug these values into the formula to calculate the electric field at the location of the chlorine ion.
Step 4: Use the relationship between electric field and force to calculate the force on the chlorine ion. The force is given by: , where q is the charge of the chlorine ion (-1.60×10^{-19} C) and E is the electric field calculated in the previous step.
Step 5: Determine the direction and nature of the force. Since the chlorine ion has a negative charge and the dipole moment points in the +x direction, the electric field will attract the negative charge toward the dipole. Thus, the force is attractive and directed toward the origin (negative x direction).

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Dipole Moment
The dipole moment is a vector quantity that represents the separation of positive and negative charges in a system. For a molecule like water (H2O), it indicates the strength and direction of the dipole, which arises due to the difference in electronegativity between hydrogen and oxygen. The dipole moment is crucial for understanding how polar molecules interact with electric fields and other charges.
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Intro To Dipole Moment
Electric Field of a Dipole
The electric field generated by a dipole decreases with distance and is directed along the dipole axis. For points far from the dipole, the electric field can be approximated using a specific formula that accounts for the dipole moment and the distance from the dipole. This concept is essential for calculating the force exerted by the dipole on other charges, such as the chlorine ion in this scenario.
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Electric Field Lines
Coulomb's Law
Coulomb's Law describes the force between two point charges, stating that the force is proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This law is fundamental in determining the nature of the interaction (attractive or repulsive) between the dipole and the chlorine ion, based on their respective charges.
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Coulomb's Law
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