Capacitor and 1 British Pound MAGNET

In summary, the conversation discusses attaching a capacitor and a coin to a DC power supply, resulting in sparking, heat, and the two wires from the capacitor behaving like a magnet. The expert explains that this is due to a short circuit between the power supply and the coin, creating large currents and welding the coin to the wires. The heat from the supply is caused by the energy being dissipated within the supply itself, as its internal resistance is much greater than the coin's.
  • #1
babushka
1
0
Hi guys. I've got an interesting questions. I found it tricky maybe somebody knows the answer. When I attach to DC supply a capacitor with a coin 1 British Pound parallel to the capacitor and connected by two wires coming out of the capacitor, I always get kind of sparkles in my coin, the supply gets hot and suddenly these two wires from the capacitor become a magnet which can easily lift my pound up as a real magnet. Explain it please.
 
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  • #2
It appears you are shorting the current from the power supply and capacitor through the coin. You can get quite large instantaneous currents out of a capacitor. The "magnetic force" you see is not actually magnetism. You have simply welded the coin to the wires.

The supply is getting hot because you are dissipating most of the energy from the supply inside the supply itself as the internal resistance of the supply is much larger than the coin. Power is current squared times resistance. The coin has a rather small resistance.

BoB
 

1. What is a capacitor?

A capacitor is an electronic component that stores electrical energy in an electric field. It is made of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material, and it is commonly used in electronic circuits to store charge.

2. How does a capacitor work?

A capacitor works by accumulating charge on its plates. When a voltage is applied to the capacitor, electrons are forced onto one of the plates, creating a negative charge. This causes an equal number of positive charges to accumulate on the other plate, creating an electric field between the plates. The capacitor can then release this stored energy when needed.

3. What is the unit of measurement for capacitance?

The unit of measurement for capacitance is the farad (F). However, capacitors are often measured in smaller units such as microfarads (μF) or picofarads (pF).

4. How does a British Pound magnet work?

A British Pound magnet is a type of magnet that is made by mixing iron oxide with ground-up British coins. When these coins are heated and cooled in a strong magnetic field, the iron oxide aligns with the magnetic field, creating a permanent magnetic force.

5. What are some practical applications of capacitors and British Pound magnets?

Capacitors are used in a wide variety of electronic devices such as computers, cameras, and televisions. They are also used in power systems to improve power factor and reduce power consumption. British Pound magnets are often used in industrial applications for magnetic separation, as well as in consumer products like speakers and hard drives.

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