As the capacitor is being charged, electrons are building up on one of the plates. These electrons create and electric field opposing the build-up of additional charge on the capacitor. When the capacitor is fully* charged, the electric field of the electrons on the capacitor plate is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the electric field created by the external potential. Therefore, the net electric field inside the wire is zero and the electrons in the wire experience no external force and hence no current will flow.atavistic said:Why doesn't electric current flow in a circuit when a capacitor is fully charged?
I mean there is still the battery making the E field, why is it unable to move the electrons of the wire of the circuit?
No, it isn't. I can understand why you would think that this would be the case, since any diagram showing the electric field lines of a parallel plate capacitor simply show the field between the plates, but this is not the case. Consider a wire which has a 'build-up' of electrons at one end of the wire, this would create an electric field both inside the wire and one outside the wire at the end.atavistic said:@hootenanny : But isn't the E field of the capacitor confined only to the region in between the plates.
But isn't the E field of the capacitor confined only to the region in between the plates.
Consider a wire which has a 'build-up' of electrons at one end of the wire, this would create an electric field both inside the wire and one outside the wire at the end.
andYou could think of one of the wires from the battery to the capacitor, say the +ve . When fully charged the voltage at one end of the wire is the same as the other wrt to the -ve so there is current flow.
Therefore, the net electric field inside the wire is zero and the electrons in the wire experience no external force and hence no current will flow.
Correct, but this begs the question how does the electric field become zero?Naty1 said:Of course it is. The electric field inside a conductor with static charge is ZERO... You might argue about a bit of fringing at the edges..but it's irrelevant here.
Electric current is the flow of electric charge through a conductor. It is measured in amperes (A) and is typically represented by the symbol "I".
A capacitor is made up of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material, known as a dielectric. When a voltage is applied to the capacitor, it causes a buildup of electric charge on the plates, creating an electric field between them. This stored electric charge can then be released when the capacitor is connected to a circuit.
When a capacitor is fully charged, it blocks the flow of electric current in the circuit. This is because the capacitor has reached its maximum capacity for storing electric charge and cannot accept any more.
No, a capacitor cannot be charged indefinitely. The dielectric material between the plates has a limit to how much electric charge it can hold. Once the capacitor reaches this limit, it cannot hold any more charge.
As a capacitor charges, the electric current decreases. This is because the capacitor is blocking the flow of current and storing the electric charge on its plates. Once the capacitor is fully charged, the current flow stops completely.