Energy of a Capacitor in the Presence of a Dielectric

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the energy calculations of a dielectric-filled parallel-plate capacitor under various conditions, including when it is connected to a battery and when it is disconnected. The subject area includes concepts of capacitance, energy storage, and the effects of dielectrics in capacitors.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the energy of a capacitor with a dielectric, considering different configurations as the dielectric is partially removed. There are attempts to calculate the energy at various stages, with some participants suggesting the use of equivalent capacitance for analysis.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided hints and approaches to tackle the problem, particularly regarding the configuration of capacitors when the dielectric is half-filled. However, there are indications of confusion or errors in calculations, as noted by one participant's incorrect attempt for part C.

Contextual Notes

The problem involves multiple steps and requires careful consideration of the capacitor's state (connected vs. disconnected) and the impact of the dielectric on energy calculations. There is a focus on expressing answers in terms of specific variables, which may lead to varying interpretations of the problem setup.

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An dielectric-filled parallel-plate capacitor has plate area A and plate separation d. The capacitor is connected to a battery that creates a constant voltage V. The dielectric constant is K.

A. Find the energy U_1 of the dielectric-filled capacitor. The capacitor remains connected to the battery

I was able to figure out this one:
(epsilon_0*K*A*V^2)/(2d)

But I cannot figure out the rest...

B.The dielectric plate is now slowly pulled out of the capacitor, which remains connected to the battery. Find the energy U_2 of the capacitor at the moment when the capacitor is half filled with the dielectric. Express your answer in terms of A,d,V,K,epsilon_0.

C.The capactor is now disconnected from the battery, and the dielectric plate is then slowly removed the rest of the way out of the capacitor. Find the new energy of the capacitor, U_s.Express your answer in terms of A,d,V,K,epsilon_0

D. In the process of removing the remaining portion of the dielectric from the disconnected capacitor, how much work W is done by the external agent acting on the dielectric.Express your answer in terms of A,d,V,K,epsilon_0

ANY help would be greatly appreciated... Thanks in advance
 
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When the capacitor is half filled with the dielectric, you can imagine two capacitors having area A/2 each and connected in parallel. One of them is with dielectric and other without dielectric. Calculate the equivalent capacitance and charge on it. By this hint you can solve C and D
 
I tried this for C and it was wrong?
epsilon_0*K*(A/2)*V^2/(2d)

what am I doing wrong?
 
C1 = epsilon_0*A/2*/d and C2 = epsilon_0*K*(A/2)/d. Since the battery is still connected the potential difference is same in C1 and C2.
 

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