Parallel plates & Point charge ?

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on the calculations related to a parallel plate capacitor with a capacitance of 20 µF and a plate separation of 0.5 mm, as well as the electric field and forces involving three point charges. The area of each plate is determined to be 3.54 x 10^-3 m², the potential difference across the plates is calculated as 1.5 V, and the stored energy is found to be 0.0225 J. The electric field between the plates is 3000 V/m, and the charge density is 8476.68 C/m². Additionally, the electric field at the origin due to the three point charges is zero, and the force on the central charge (q2) is calculated to be 11.24 N.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of capacitor formulas, specifically C = ε₀ * A / d
  • Knowledge of electric field calculations, E = V/d
  • Familiarity with Coulomb's law for point charges, F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²
  • Basic skills in algebra and unit conversions for electrical calculations
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the derivation and applications of the capacitance formula for different geometries
  • Learn about energy storage in capacitors and its implications in electronic circuits
  • Investigate the principles of electric fields and forces in multi-charge systems
  • Study the effects of varying plate separation and charge magnitude on capacitor performance
USEFUL FOR

Electrical engineers, physics students, and anyone involved in circuit design or studying electrostatics will benefit from this discussion.

n3ro
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1. parallel plate with capacitor of 20uF, plate is 0.5mm apart.

Find
1. Area of each plate
2. potential difference if there's a change of magnitude of 30uC on each plate.
3. stored energy
4. electric field between the two plates
5. charge density on the plate.


|_| |_|
|_____|
.5mm

I know [tex]C=\frac{Eo*A}{d}[/tex]

so would [tex]A=\frac{Eo*C}{D}[/tex] or A=Q / Eo *E

A= (8.85*10^ -12 ) * 20 / (.5 * 10^ -3) = 3.54 * 10 ^7 ?


2. three point charges on the x-axis q1= (10uc) at x= -4m, q2= (-5uC) at the origin, q3= (-20uC) at x= 4m.


Q1(-4,0)... Q2(0,0)... Q3(4,0)
(+)----------(-)-----------(-)
10uC... -5uC... -20UC


Find
1. electric field at origin
2. force on q2


would electric field on orgin = Zero & force on q2 equal

[tex]F1= Ke\frac{q1|q2|}{r^2}[/tex] , [tex]F2=Ke\frac{|q3|q2|}{r^2}[/tex]

[tex]F1=\frac{(8.99* 10^9)* (10 * 10^ -6)*( 5*10^-6)}{(-4)^ 2}[/tex]

[tex]F2=\frac{(8.99* 10^9)* (20 * 10^ -6)*(5*10^-6)}{(4)^ 2}[/tex]

After this would i add components ( x i + y j )
 
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For the first problem,the area u computed is incorrect.You began with the correct formula,but somehow screwed up the arithmetics.What about the other 4 points...?

Daniel.
 
or use Pythagorean theorem to find the magnitude of the force?

1. The area of each plate would be calculated as A = (8.85*10^-12 * 20*10^-6)/0.5*10^-3 = 3.54*10^-3 m^2.

2. To find the potential difference, we use the equation V = Q/C, where Q is the charge on each plate and C is the capacitance. Since the charge on each plate is 30 uC, the potential difference would be V = (30*10^-6)/20*10^-6 = 1.5 V.

3. The stored energy in a capacitor is given by E = 1/2 * C * V^2. Plugging in the values, we get E = 1/2 * 20*10^-6 * (1.5)^2 = 0.0225 J.

4. The electric field between two parallel plates is given by E = V/d, where V is the potential difference and d is the distance between the plates. Plugging in the values, we get E = (1.5)/(0.5*10^-3) = 3000 V/m.

5. The charge density on the plates is given by σ = Q/A, where Q is the charge on each plate and A is the area of the plates. Plugging in the values, we get σ = (30*10^-6)/(3.54*10^-3) = 8476.68 C/m^2.

For the three point charges on the x-axis, the electric field at the origin would be zero since the contributions from q1 and q3 cancel each other out.

To find the force on q2, we use the equation F = k * (q1*q2)/r^2, where k is the Coulomb's constant, q1 and q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between the two charges. Plugging in the values, we get F = (8.99*10^9) * (10*10^-6 * 5*10^-6)/4^2 = 11.24 N. The components of this force can be found using vector addition or the Pythagorean theorem.
 

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