Which statement about the electric dipole moment is true?
u=qd
a) A molecule is a strong dipole if the net charge separation occurs over a short distsnce within the molecule
b) the unit of u is C/m
c)A dipole exerts a larger force on a point charge than on another dipole at the same distance.
d)for strong dipole molecules, u is typically a value on the order of 1*10^-30 C*m while the elementary charge is 1.6*10^-19C. Thus the charge separated in strong dipole molecules in many orders of magnitude less than an elementary charge
e)The dipole moment can be zero even if neither q or d is zero.
I think that e is correct, I just wanted to check..
To determine which statement about the electric dipole moment is true, let's go through each option:
a) A molecule is a strong dipole if the net charge separation occurs over a short distance within the molecule.
This statement is incorrect. The strength of a dipole is determined by the magnitude of the charge separation, not the distance over which it occurs. Even if the charge separation occurs over a long distance, a molecule can still have a strong dipole moment if the charges are large.
b) The unit of u is C/m.
This statement is incorrect. The unit of electric dipole moment u is Coulomb-meter (C⋅m). It represents the product of charge (Coulombs) and distance (meters).
c) A dipole exerts a larger force on a point charge than on another dipole at the same distance.
This statement is correct. According to Coulomb's law, the force between two electric charges is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Thus, a point charge will experience a larger force from a dipole than another dipole at the same distance.
d) For strong dipole molecules, u is typically a value on the order of 1x10^-30 C⋅m while the elementary charge is 1.6x10^-19 C. Thus, the charge separated in strong dipole molecules is many orders of magnitude less than an elementary charge.
This statement is correct. A strong dipole moment in a molecule typically refers to a small charge separation (q) multiplied by a relatively large distance (d). Since the elementary charge (1.6x10^-19 C) is significantly larger than the charge separation in strong dipole molecules (on the order of 1x10^-30 C⋅m), the charge separated in strong dipole molecules is indeed many orders of magnitude less than an elementary charge.
e) The dipole moment can be zero even if neither q nor d is zero.
This statement is correct. The dipole moment is defined as the product of charge (q) and the distance between charges (d). If either q or d becomes zero, the dipole moment will be zero. However, it is also possible for the charges to be non-zero and the distance between them to be zero or for the charges to cancel each other out, resulting in a net dipole moment of zero.
Therefore, the correct statement is indeed e) The dipole moment can be zero even if neither q nor d is zero.