---
title: "An electric dipole consists of two point charges, \\(+q\\) and \\(-q\\), fixed a distance \\(d\\) apart. Point \\(P\\) is located on the perpendicular bisector of the dipole, at a distance \\(r\\) from the midpoint. Assuming the electric potential is defined to be zero at infinity, which of the following statements correctly identifies the electric potential \\(V\\) at point \\(P\\) and provides the correct physical justification?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/118074/"
date_modified: "2026-08-04T08:04:58+00:00"
---

# An electric dipole consists of two point charges, \(+q\) and \(-q\), fixed a distance \(d\) apart. Point \(P\) is located on the perpendicular bisector of the dipole, at a distance \(r\) from the midpoint. Assuming the electric potential is defined to be zero at infinity, which of the following statements correctly identifies the electric potential \(V\) at point \(P\) and provides the correct physical justification?

An electric dipole consists of two point charges, \(+q\) and \(-q\), fixed a distance \(d\) apart. Point \(P\) is located on the perpendicular bisector of the dipole, at a distance \(r\) from the midpoint. Assuming the electric potential is defined to be zero at infinity, which of the following statements correctly identifies the electric potential \(V\) at point \(P\) and provides the correct physical justification?

![A horizontal line segment of length d connects two point charges. The left charge is labeled +q and the right charge is labeled -q. The midpoint between the charges is marked with a small tick mark. A vertical dashed line passes through the midpoint, extending upward perpendicular to the horizontal line. A point labeled P is positioned on this vertical dashed line at a distance r above the midpoint. Straight dashed line segments connect charge +q to P and charge -q to P. No other labels, lines, text, or axes appear.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/stem-dipole-diagram-1785830698-4OEPtj.jpg)

- **A.** \(V = 0\), because point \(P\) is equidistant from both charges, so their equal-magnitude and opposite-sign scalar potential contributions sum to zero.
- **B.** \(V = 0\), because the net electric field vector at point \(P\) is equal to zero.
- **C.** \(V = \dfrac{2 k q}{\sqrt{r^2 + (d/2)^2}}\), because electric potential is a scalar quantity, so the magnitudes of the potential contributions add constructively regardless of sign.
- **D.** \(V = \dfrac{k q d}{r^2}\), because the electric potential along the perpendicular bisector depends on distance in the same manner as along the dipole axis.

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