Difference between These Electric Field Formulas

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The discussion clarifies the difference between two electric field formulas related to uniformly charged parallel plates. The formula E = ω/ε₀ applies to the electric field between two oppositely charged infinite sheets, while E = ω/2ε₀ is for the field produced by a single charged sheet. The presence of two sheets effectively doubles the electric field, which explains the absence of the "2" in the first formula. Both formulas assume the sheets are significantly larger than the distance from them. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for accurately applying the concepts in electrostatics.
wahaj
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just a quick question. I seem to have come across two very similar formulas for electric fields produced by uniformly charged parallel plates. My book gives the formula as
E = \frac{\omega}{\epsilon_0}
on the other hand the notes from my prof tell me that
E = \frac{\omega}{2\epsilon_0}

My book or the notes don't mention the other formulas and this whole concept is still new to me to I'm a bit confused. what is the difference between the two formulas?
 
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so basically the first equation is for an infinite plane while the second one is for a plate with a definite length like in a parallel plate capacitor. Did I get that right?
 
Not quite. One formula (with the "2" in the denominator) is for a single sheet, the other is for the field between two oppositely charged sheets. One way to remember this is that having two sheets produces twice the field, which gets rid of the "2" in the formula.

In both cases the sheets are considered to be very large compared to the distance away from the sheet.
 
It may be shown from the equations of electromagnetism, by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860’s, that the speed of light in the vacuum of free space is related to electric permittivity (ϵ) and magnetic permeability (μ) by the equation: c=1/√( μ ϵ ) . This value is a constant for the vacuum of free space and is independent of the motion of the observer. It was this fact, in part, that led Albert Einstein to Special Relativity.
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