Two capacitors of capacitances 5 micro farad and 10 micro farad are ch...
Problem Statement
Two capacitors of capacitances 5 micro farad and 10 micro farad are charged to 16 volts and 10 volts respectively. Find the common potential when they are connected in parallel?
Solution
Step 1: Finding the charge on each capacitor
Charge on capacitor = capacitance x voltage
For 5 micro farad capacitor, charge = 5 x 10^-6 x 16 = 0.00008 C
For 10 micro farad capacitor, charge = 10 x 10^-6 x 10 = 0.0001 C
Step 2: Finding the total charge
Total charge = charge on capacitor 1 + charge on capacitor 2
Total charge = 0.00008 + 0.0001 = 0.00018 C
Step 3: Finding the equivalent capacitance
Equivalent capacitance = capacitance of capacitor 1 + capacitance of capacitor 2
Equivalent capacitance = 5 x 10^-6 + 10 x 10^-6 = 15 x 10^-6 = 15 micro farad
Step 4: Finding the common potential
Common potential = total charge / equivalent capacitance
Common potential = 0.00018 / 15 x 10^-6 = 12 volts
Therefore, the common potential when the capacitors are connected in parallel is 12 volts.
Explanation
When two capacitors are connected in parallel, the equivalent capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitances. The charge on each capacitor is equal to its capacitance multiplied by the voltage across it. The total charge on both capacitors is the sum of their individual charges. The common potential is the total charge divided by the equivalent capacitance.