Capacitance Comparison for Spherical Shells and Solid Spheres

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the capacitance of two configurations involving spherical shells and solid spheres. Participants are exploring whether the capacitance remains the same for a spherical shell surrounding another versus a solid sphere surrounded by a shell.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster questions the equivalence of capacitance in two different geometrical setups and considers the implications of charge distribution on a solid sphere. Other participants confirm this equivalence and suggest exploring alternative methods for calculating capacitance.

Discussion Status

The discussion includes confirmations of the original poster's thoughts, with some participants suggesting further exploration of capacitance calculations beyond the basic formula. There is an indication of productive dialogue regarding the conceptual understanding of capacitance in different configurations.

Contextual Notes

Participants are operating under the assumption that the charge on the solid sphere behaves like a thin shell, which may influence their reasoning about capacitance. There is also a reference to external resources for deriving capacitance expressions.

theneedtoknow
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Would the capacitance of the system be the same if we had one spherical shell around another (radii a and b) , versus a solid sphere of radius a surrounded by shell of radius b? I mean...if the charge we add to the solid sphere distributes itself completely on the surface, isn't the inner solid sphere going to act exactly like a thin shell with the radius of the sphere?
 
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Yes it is.
 
Thank you :) And, is there another way to calculate the capacitance of such a system other than C=Q/V ?
 
You can derive an expression for the capacitance. See
http://www.mwit.ac.th/~physicslab/hbase/electric/capsph.html
 

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