. An electric dipole has the magnitude of its charge as q and its dipole moment is p. It is placed in a uniform electric field E. If its dipole moment is along the direction of the field, the force on it and its potential energy are respectively

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Solution

Step 1: Given data and Net force when
The dipole is in the direction of the field then the net force is
$q E + (- q E) = 0$
The potential energy of electric dipole is, U=− PE=−PEcosθ
where E= uniform electric field
P=Electric dipole, θ= angle between field and dipole
Step 2: Calculation of The minimum potential energy
The potential energy is minimum when θ=0
U $= - p . E = - q a E$
Hence minimum potential energy is −p.E

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