Calculate the electric dipole moment from charge and separation distance.
Dipole Parameters
C
m
Calculation Results
Enter charge and distance
About this calculator
Quick Reference
pElectric Dipole Moment
qMagnitude of charge
dSeparation distance
1 Debye3.33564 × 10⁻³⁰ C·m
Overview
An electric dipole is a pair of equal and opposite electric charges separated by a small distance. The electric dipole moment is a measure of the system's overall polarity.
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Pro Tips
The dipole moment is a vector pointing from the negative charge to the positive charge.
In chemistry, molecular polarity is often measured in Debyes (D).
p = q * d only applies if the charges are equal and opposite.
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Fun Facts
"Water molecules have a strong dipole moment due to the high electronegativity of oxygen, which is why water is such an effective solvent."
"The unit 'Debye' is named after physicist Peter Debye and is roughly the dipole moment of a single electron and proton separated by 0.02 nanometers."
