Short Answers
Q.1. Suppose a charge +Q1 is given to the positive plate and a charge −Q2 to the negative plate of a capacitor. What is the "charge on the capacitor"?
Given :
Charge on the positive plane =+Q1
Charge on the negative plate =-Q2
To calculate: Charge on the capacitor
Let ABCD be the Gaussian surface such that faces AD and BC lie inside plates X and Y, respectively.
Let q be the charge appearing on surface II. Then, the distribution of the charges on faces I, III and IV will be in accordance with the figure.
Let the area of the plates be A and the permittivity of the free space be ∈0.
Now, to determine q in terms of Q1 and Q2, we need to apply Gauss's law to calculate the electric field due to all four faces of the capacitor at point P. Also, we know that the electric field inside a capacitor is zero.
Electric field due to face I at point P, E1 =
Electric field due to face II at point P, E2=
Electric field due to face III at point P, E3 =
Electric field due to face IV at point P, E4 = (Negative sign is used as point P lies on the LHS of face IV.)
Since point P lies inside the conductor,
E1 + E2 + E3 + E4 = 0
Thus , the change on the capacitor is which is the charge on faces II and III.
Q.2. As can you say that the capacitance C is proportional to the charge Q?
No. Since capacitance is a proportionality constant, it depends neither on the charge on the plates nor on the potential. It only depends upon the size and shape of the capacitor and on the dielectric used between the plates.
The formula that shows its dependence on the size and shape of the capacitor is as follows :
Here, A is the area of the plates of the capacitor and d is the distance between the plates of the capacitor.
Q.3. A hollow metal sphere and a solid metal sphere of equal radii are given equal charges. Which of the two will have higher potential?
The potential of a metal sphere is directly proportional to the charge q given to it and inversely proportional to its radius r. i.e. V
Since both the spheres are conductors with the same radius and charge, the charge given to them appears on the surface evenly. Thus, the potential on the surface or within the sphere will be the same, no matter the sphere is hollow or solid.
Q.4. The plates of a parallel-plate capacitor are given equal positive charges. What will be the potential difference between the plates? What will be the charges on the facing surfaces and on the outer surfaces?
It is given that the plates of the capacitor have the same charges. In other words, they are at the same potential, so the potential difference between them is zero.
Let us consider that the charge on face II is q so that the induced charge on face III is -q and the distribution is according to the figure.
Now, if we consider Gaussian surface ABCD, whose faces lie inside the two plates, and calculate the field at point P due to all four surfaces, it will be
(It is -Ve because point P is on the left side of face IV. )
Now, as point P lies inside the conductor, the total field must be zero.
∴ E1 + E2 + E3 + E4 = 0
Or
∴ q = 0
Hence, on faces II and III, the charge is equal to zero; and on faces I and IV, the charge is Q.
Thus, it seems that the whole charge given is moved to the outer surfaces, with zero charge on the facing surfaces.
Q.5. A capacitor has capacitance C. Is this information sufficient to know what maximum charge the capacitor can contain? If yes, what is this charges? If no, what other information is needed?
No. This information is not sufficient. Since the charge is proportional to the potential difference across the capacitor, we need to know the potential difference applied across the capacitor.
q ∝ V ⇒ q = CV
Here, q is the charge, V is the potential difference applied and C is the proportionality constant, i.e. capacitance.
Q.6. The dielectric constant decreases if the temperature is increased. Explain this in terms of polarization of the material.
The amount of polarisation can be understood as the extent of perfect alignment of the molecules of a dielectric with an external electric field. The more aligned the molecules are with the external magnetic field, the more is the polarisation and the more will be the dielectric constant.
But with increase in temperature, the thermal agitation of the molecules or the randomness in their alignment with the field increases.
Thus, we can say that increase in temperature results in reduced polarisation and reduced dielectric constant.
Q.7. When a dielectric slab is gradually inserted between the plates of an isolated parallel-plate capacitor, the energy of the system decreases. What can you conclude about the force on the slab exerted by the electric field?
As the energy of the system decreases, the change in the energy is negative. Force is defined as a negative rate of change of energy with respect to distance.
So, as the energy decreases, the force due to the electric field of the capacitor increases when the dielectric is dragged into the capacitor.
Multiple Choice Questions
Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:A capacitor of capacitance C is charged to a potential V. The flux of the electric field through a closed surface enclosing the capacitor is
Explanation
Since the net charge enclosed by the Gaussian surface is zero, the total flux of the electric field through the closed Gaussian surface enclosing the capacitor is zero.
Here,
Φ = Electric flux
q = Total Charge enclosed by the Gaussian surface .
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:Two capacitors each having capacitance C and breakdown voltage V are joined in series. The capacitance and the breakdown voltage of the combination will be
Explanation
Since the voltage gets added up when the capacitors are connected in series, the voltage of the combination is 2V.
Also, the capacitance of a series combination is given by
Here ,
C_net = Net capacitance of the combination
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:If the capacitors in the previous question are joined in parallel, the capacitance and the breakdown voltage of the combination will be
Explanation
In a parallel combination of capacitors, the potential difference across the capacitors remain the same, as the right-hand-side plates and the left-hand-side plates of both the capacitors are connected to the same terminals of the battery. Therefore, the potential remains the same, that is, V.
For the parallel combination of capacitors, the capacitance is given by
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:The equivalent capacitance of the combination shown in the figure is _________ .
Explanation
Since the potential at point A is equal to the potential at point B, no current will flow along arm AB. Hence, the capacitor on arm AB will not contribute to the circuit. Also, because the remaining two capacitors are connected in parallel, the net capacitance of the circuit is given by Ceq = C + C = 2C
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:A dielectric slab is inserted between the plates of an isolated capacitor. The force between the plates will
Explanation
The force between the plates is given by Since the capacitor is isolated, the charge on the plates remains constant. We know that the charge is conserved in an isolated system. Thus, the force acting between the plates remains unchanged.
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:The energy density in the electric field created by a point charge falls off with the distance from the point charge as
Explanation
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:A parallel-plate capacitor has plates of unequal area. The larger plate is connected to the positive terminal of the battery and the smaller plate to its negative terminal. Let Q, and Q be the charges appearing on the positive and negative plates respectively.
Explanation
The charge induced on the plates of a capacitor is independent of the area of the plates.
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:A thin metal plate P is inserted between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor of capacitance C in such a way that its edges touch the two plates . The capacitance now becomes _________ .
Explanation
The thin metal plate inserted between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor of capacitance C connects the two plates of the capacitor; hence, the distance d between the plates of the capacitor reduces to zero. It can be observed that the charges on the plates begin to overlap each other via the metallic plate and hence begin to conduct continuously.
Mathematically,
In this case , d = 0.
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:The following figure shows two capacitors connected in series and joined to a battery. The graph shows the variation in potential as one moves from left to right on the branch containing the capacitors.
Explanation
Region AB shows the potential difference across capacitor C1 and region CD shows the potential difference across capacitor C2. Now, we can see from the graph that region AB is greater than region CD. Therefore, the potential difference across capacitor C1 is greater than that across capacitor C2.
∵ Capacitance, C = Q/V
∴ C1 < C2 (Q remains the same in series connection.)
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:Two metal plates having charges Q, −Q face each other at some separation and are dipped into an oil tank. If the oil is pumped out, the electric field between the plates will
Explanation
Oil between the plates of the capacitor acts as a dielectric. We know that the electric field decreases by a factor of 1/K of the original field when we insert a dielectric between the plates of a capacitor (K is the dielectric constant of the dielectric). So, if the oil is pumped out, the electric field between the plates will increase, as the dielectric has been removed.
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:Two metal spheres of capacitance C1 and C2 carry some charges. They are put in contact and then separated. The final charges Q1 and Q2 on them will satisfy
Explanation
When the spheres are connected, charges flow between them until they both acquire the same common potential V.
The final charges on the spheres are given by Q1 = C1V and Q2 = C2V
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:Three capacitors of capacitances 6 µF each are available. The minimum and maximum capacitances, which may be obtained are
Explanation
The minimum capacitance can be obtained by connecting all capacitors in series. It can be calculated as follows :
⇒ C =2 µF
The maximum capacitance can be obtained by connecting all capacitors in parallel. It can be calculated as follows :
C = 6+6+6 = 18 µF
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:The capacitance of a capacitor does not depend on
Explanation
The capacitance of a capacitor is given by
Here, A is the area of the plates of the capacitor and d is the distance between the plates.
So, we can clearly see that the capacitance of a capacitor does depend on the size and shape of the plates and the separation between the plates; it does not depend on the charges on the plates.
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:A dielectric slab is inserted between the plates of an isolated charged capacitor. Which of the following quantities will remain the same?
Explanation
When we insert a dielectric between the plates of a capacitor, induced charges of opposite polarity appear on the face of the dielectric. They build an electric field inside the dielectric, directed opposite to the original field of the capacitor.
Thus, the net effect is a reduced electric field.
Also, as the potential is proportional to the field, the potential decreases and so does the stored energy U, which is given by
Thus, only the charge on the capacitor remains unchanged, as the charge is conserved in an isolated system.
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Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:A dielectric slab is inserted between the plates of a capacitor. The charge on the capacitor is Q and the magnitude of the induced charge on each surface of the dielectric is Q'.
Explanation
The relation between the induced charge Q' and the charge on the capacitor Q is given by
Here, K is the dielectric constant that is always greater than or equal to 1.
So, we can see that for K > 1, Q' will always be less than Q.
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*Multiple options can be correct
Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:Each plate of a parallel plate capacitor has a charge q on it. The capacitor is now connected to a batter. Now,
Explanation
In H.C Verma the answer is (a), (c) ,(d). But according to us the answer should be (a), (b), (d) all these options are the properties of a capacitor and the option (c) is incorrect because the battery is a source of energy not charge. Moreover if a capacitor plates have equal charge on outside and equal charge on inside then one can think that the charge on the plates must be also equal so option (b) cant be incorrect.
*Multiple options can be correct
Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:The separation between the plates of a charged parallel-plate capacitor is increased. Which of the following quantities will change?
Explanation
Because the charge always remains conserved in an isolated system, it will remain the same.
Now,
Here, Q, A and d are the charge, area and distance between the plates, respectively.
Thus, as d increases, V increases.
Energy is given by E = qV/2
So , it will also increase.
Energy density u , that is , energy stored per unit volume in the electric field is given by
So, u will remain constant with increase in distance between the plates.
Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:A parallel-plate capacitor is connected to a battery. A metal sheet of negligible thickness is placed between the plates. The sheet remains parallel to the plates of the capacitor.
Explanation
The capacitance of the capacitor in which a dielectric slab of dielectric constant K, area A and thickness t is inserted between the plates of the capacitor of area A and separated by a distance d is given by
Since it is given that the thickness of the sheet is negligible, the above formula reduces to C = In other words, there will not be any change in the electric field, potential or charge.
Only, equal and opposite charges will appear on the two faces of the metal plate because of induction due to the presence of the charges on the plates of the capacitor.
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*Multiple options can be correct
Question for HC Verma Questions and Solutions: Chapter 31: Capacitors- 1
Try yourself:Following operations can be performed on a capacitor:
X − connect the capacitor to a battery of emf ε.
Y − disconnect the battery.
Z − reconnect the battery with polarity reversed.
W − insert a dielectric slab in the capacitor.
Explanation
Justification of option (b)
If the potential is held constant, that is, the battery remains attached to the circuit, then the charge on the capacitor increases by a factor of K on inserting a dielectric of a dielectric constant K between the plates of the capacitor.
Mathematically,
q = Kq0
Here, q0 and q are the charges without dielectric and with dielectric, respectively.
The amount of charge stored does not depend upon the polarity of the plates.
Thus, the charge appearing on the capacitor is greater after the action XWY than after the action XYZ.
Justification of option (c)
Since the battery is disconnected before inserting a dielectric, the amount of charge remains constant, that is,q = q0, because after the battery is disconnected, the capacitor gets no source to store charge from. In other words, the capacitor is now an isolated system where the amount of charge is conserved and so is the energy U as (1/2)q∈. Hence, inserting a dielectric after disconnecting the battery will not bring any change in the amount of charge stored in the capacitor. So, the energy stored in the capacitor will also not change after the action XYW.
However, during the action WXY, the amount of charge that will get stored in the capacitor will get increased by a factor of K, as the battery is disconnected after inserting a dielectric between the plates of the capacitor and the energy stored will also get multiplied by a factor of K.
Thus, the electric energy stored in the capacitor is greater after the action WXY than after the action XYW.
Justification of option (d)
The electric field between the plates E depends on the potential across the capacitor and the distanced between the plates of the capacitor.
Mathematically,
E = ∈/d
In either case, that is, during actions XW and WX, the potential remains the same, that is, ∈. Thus, the electric field E remains the same.
Denial of option (a)
During the action XYZ, the battery has to do extra work equivalent to (1/2)CV2 to change the polarity of the plates of the capacitor. In other words, the total work to be done by the battery will be This extra work done will be dissipated as heat energy. Thus, thermal energy is developed. However, the stored electric energy remains unchanged, that is