The problem involves two capacitors, C1 and C2, where C1 is initially charged to a potential difference of 10V and then disconnected. An uncharged capacitor C2 is later connected in parallel to C1, resulting in a new potential difference of 6V. The goal is to find the ratio C1/C2.
There are various attempts to reason through the problem, with some participants providing insights into the relationships between charge, voltage, and capacitance. A participant has proposed a potential solution based on their calculations, while others have confirmed the correctness of their reasoning.
Some participants question the assumptions regarding energy loss during charge transfer and the behavior of charge in series versus parallel configurations.
thereddevils said:Homework Statement
A capacitor of capacitance C1 is charged to a potential difference of 10V and then disconnected. A second uncharged capacitor C2 is connected in parallel to the charged capacitor. The new potential difference is 6V. What is the value of the ratio C1/C2?
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
Some hints to start?
Shivpal said:Since the capacitors are connected in parallel connection, the plates connected with each other will have the same potential, and assuming ideal conditions(i.e no heat loss during charge transfer) the initial energy of the system(consisting C1) will be equal to the final energy of the system (consisting C1 & C2).
Dadface said:What do you know so far?
Dadface said:When the capacitors are connected charge flows from one to the other as you described but the total charge Q remains constant.You can write Q=CV for the first capacitor and for the parallel combination and take it from there.
Dadface said:Your sums look good.
In series the charges are the same but the pds(voltages) are different.In parallel the pds are the same but the charges are different.