Question

Draw equipotential surfaces for an electric dipole.

Hint:

Equipotential surfaces are always perpendicular to the electric field lines and are concentric spheres for a point charge. For a dipole, they form a more complex pattern.

Answer 1

Step 1: For an electric dipole, the equipotential surfaces are surfaces on which the electric potential is constant. These surfaces are formed around the dipole, and they are symmetric in nature.
Step 2: The shape of the equipotential surfaces of an electric dipole is more complex than those of a single charge. They are typically shown as two sets of surfaces:
Near the dipole, the surfaces are roughly spherical, but as you move farther away, the surfaces become more elongated, resembling two elongated ovals (along the axis of the dipole).
Step 3: These equipotential surfaces do not intersect each other, and the electric field lines are always perpendicular to the equipotential surfaces.