Force between the plates of a plane capacitor

In summary, the problem was that the student substituted the incorrect value for q and ended up with an incorrect answer.
  • #1
pc2-brazil
205
3
I found this problem while self-studying Electricity and Magnetism, and I want to know if my solution is rigorous.

Homework Statement


Show that the plates of a plane capacitor attract each other mutually with a force equal to
[tex]F=\frac{q^2}{2\epsilon_0 A}[/tex]
Obtain this result by calculating the work required to increase the separation between the plates from x to x + dx.

Homework Equations


Energy stored in a capacitor with electric field E, plate area A and distance x between the plates:
[tex]U=\frac{1}{2}\epsilon_0 E^2 Ax[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution


The energy U stored in a capacitor can be viewed as the work that needs to be done by an external agent to separate its plates by a distance x:
[tex]U=\frac{1}{2}\epsilon_0 E^2 Ax[/tex]
The electric field E can be rewritten as [itex]q/(\epsilon_0 A)[/itex], where q is the magnitude of the charge on each plate. Thus, the work can be rewritten as:
[tex]U=\frac{1}{2}\frac{q^2 x}{\epsilon_0 A}[/tex]
The work dU done by the external agent to separate the plates from a separation x to a separation x + dx is:
[tex]dU=\vec{F}\cdot d\vec{x}[/tex]
where [itex]\vec{F}[/itex] is the force applied by the external agent.
Because in this situation force and displacement are in the same direction, it may be rewritten as:
[tex]dU=Fdx[/tex]
Isolating the force:
[tex]F=\frac{dU}{dx}[/tex]
Thus:
[tex]F=\frac{d}{dx}\frac{1}{2}\frac{q^2 x}{\epsilon_0 A}[/tex]
[tex]F=\frac{1}{2}\frac{q^2}{\epsilon_0 A}[/tex]

Thank you in advance.
 
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  • #2
Looks like an error substituting in the q/(ϵ0A). Shouldn't you end up with an A on the bottom instead of on the top?
 
  • #3
Delphi51 said:
Looks like an error substituting in the q/(ϵ0A). Shouldn't you end up with an A on the bottom instead of on the top?
Yes, there was an error; I've just corrected it.
 

1. What is the force between the plates of a plane capacitor?

The force between the plates of a plane capacitor is the electrostatic force that acts on the charges present on the plates. It is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charges and inversely proportional to the distance between the plates.

2. How is the force between the plates of a plane capacitor calculated?

The force between the plates of a plane capacitor can be calculated using the equation F = Q1Q2/4πε0A, where F is the force, Q1 and Q2 are the charges on the plates, ε0 is the permittivity of free space, and A is the area of the plates.

3. What factors affect the force between the plates of a plane capacitor?

The force between the plates of a plane capacitor is affected by the magnitude of the charges on the plates, the distance between the plates, and the permittivity of the material between the plates. It is also affected by any external electric fields present.

4. How does the distance between the plates affect the force between the plates of a plane capacitor?

The force between the plates of a plane capacitor is inversely proportional to the distance between the plates. As the distance increases, the force decreases, and vice versa.

5. Can the force between the plates of a plane capacitor be repulsive?

Yes, the force between the plates of a plane capacitor can be repulsive if the charges on the plates are of the same sign. This is because like charges repel each other, causing the plates to push away from each other.

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