A parallel plate capacitor initially has a voltage of 400V, and stays connected to a battery. If the plate spacing is doubled, what happens? 1. the voltage decreases 2. the voltage increases 3. the charge decreases 4. the charge increases 5. both voltage and charge change
Question
A parallel plate capacitor initially has a voltage of 400V, and stays connected to a battery. If the plate spacing is doubled, what happens?
- the voltage decreases
- the voltage increases
- the charge decreases
- the charge increases
- both voltage and charge change
Solution
The answer is: the voltage stays the same, but the charge increases. Here's why:
-
The voltage across a capacitor is determined by the battery to which it is connected. Since the capacitor stays connected to the battery and the battery voltage doesn't change, the voltage across the capacitor doesn't change either. So, options 1 and 2 are incorrect.
-
The charge on a capacitor is given by the equation Q = CV, where Q is the charge, C is the capacitance, and V is the voltage. When the plate spacing is doubled, the capacitance C is halved (because capacitance is inversely proportional to the distance between the plates). However, since the voltage V doesn't change, the charge Q = CV doesn't change either. So, options 3 and 4 are incorrect.
-
Since neither the voltage nor the charge changes, option 5 is also incorrect.
So, none of the options given are correct. The voltage stays the same and the charge doesn't change when the plate spacing of a parallel plate capacitor is doubled.
Similar Questions
A parallel plate capacitor is charged by a battery of potential V and then disconnected. Now the distance between the plates of capacitor is doubled then the electric field between the plates of capacitor will beChoose answer: Doubled Halved Quadrupled Remain same
A parallel plate capacitor is connected to a battery of potential V. Now if the distance between the plates of capacitor is doubled (keeping battery connected) then the energy stored in the capacitor will beChoose answer: Doubled Halved Quadrupled Remain same
A parallel plate capacitor with a capacitance of 2 µF is connected to a 100 V battery. If the separation between the plates is doubled, the capacitance is:a) 1 µFb) 4 µFc) 0.5 µFd) 2 µF
A parallel plate air capacitor is charged to a potential difference of V volts. After disconnecting the charging battery the distance between the plates of the capacitor is increased using an insulating handle. As a result the potential difference between the plates(a) increases
A parallel plate capacitor is charged so that a total charge of +Q ends up on the positive plate, and -Q on the negative plate.The capacitor is then disconnected from rest of the circuit. Next, I push the two plates slightly closer together. Which statement is true about the electric field and the voltage difference between the plates?
Upgrade your grade with Knowee
Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.