Exams › JEE Main › Physics

A Gaussian surface contains zero net enclosed charge. Which statement is correct for a point located inside this surface?

1. The electric field there must be zero.
2. The electric potential there must be zero.
3. Both the electric field and the potential there must be zero.
4. None of the above.

Correct answer: None of the above.

Solution

Zero enclosed charge means the net electric flux through the surface is zero (Gauss's law), but the field at interior points need not be zero because external charges still produce fields there. Potential also need not be zero. Hence none of the definitive statements hold.

Related JEE Main Physics questions

• What is the SI unit of the permittivity of free space, ε₀?
• What is the SI unit used for electric flux?
• A constant electric field E is directed along the positive x-axis. If a charge of 0.5 C is displaced by 2 m along a line inclined at 60° to the x-axis, and the work done in this process is 10 J, what is the magnitude of the electric field?
• An electric dipole is located at the origin O along the x-axis. A point P lies 20 cm from O, and the line OP makes an angle π/3 with the x-axis. If the electric field at P is inclined at an angle θ to the x-axis, what is θ?
• A uniformly charged semicircular wire has radius a and linear charge density λ. The magnitude of the electric field at the centre of the semicircle is
• A point Q is located on the perpendicular bisector of an electric dipole whose dipole moment is p. If Q is at a distance r from the dipole and r is much greater than the dipole size, the electric field at Q varies as

⚔️ Practice JEE Main Physics free + battle 1v1 →