TUTORIALS ON CAPACITORS ELECTRIC FIELD

1) A capacitor forming part of computer memory stored consist of a pair of rectangular conducting strips
each 3.0 × 10 5m and 4.0 × 10 5m separated by an oxide of thickness 1.4 ×10 7m and relative permittivity
of 4. Given that permittivity of is 8.8 × 10 12Fm -1. Calculate the capacitance of the device.
2) The figure below shows two parallel metal plates P1 and P2 placed 10cm apart in air. P1 is
maintained at a potential of 200kV while P2 is connected to the earth through a micro ammeter.
Suspended between the plates is a light plastic sphere by an insulated thread, its surface is coated with a
conducting paint so that it will store charges.

a) calculate the electric field strength between the plate

b) The sphere, whose capacitance is 6.0 × 10 13F, shuttles back and forth between the plates 360 times
per minute, contacting each plate alternately. Calculate
i) the magnitude of the charge it acquires every time it touches the plate P 1, state the sign of
the charge.
ii) the current through the micro ammeter
3) A 10000µF parallel plate capacitor is charged until the potential difference between the
plates is 230V. How much energy is stored in the capacitor?
4) A parallel plate capacitor of area 2.5 × 10 3m2 with plates 1.0 × 10 3m apart is charged to a
potential of 100V.
a) Calculate the energy stored in the plates of the capacitor
b) The distance between the plates of the capacitor is doubled with the same power supply
is connected. Calculate the new energy stored in the capacitor and comment on your
answer.
5)

6) Two capacitors of capacitance 2μF and 3 μF are connected to batteries A and B which have 6V and
10V respectively.

a) What is the energy stored in each capacitor?

Calculate the energy stored in each capacitor when
b) the terminals of battery A are reversed and
c) the battery B is disconnected and the capacitors are connected in parallel with battery A.
7) Examine the circuit below

From the diagram, calculate

(a) the voltage across each capacitor and
(b) the charge on each plate of the capacitor
8) In an experiment with a capacitor, the charge, Q, which was stored, was measured for
different values of charging potential difference, p.d. The result is represented graphically
as show below

Using the graph, determine

a) the capacitance of the capacitor used in the experiment
b) the energy stored in the capacitor when the potential different across it is 10V.