How Do You Solve Homemade Capacitor Problems?

[almedmat]

Homework Statement

The homemade capacitor is assembled by placing two 6 in pie pans 8 cm apart and connecting them to the opposite terminals of a 9 V battery.

(a) Estimate the capacitance.
___ pF
(b) Estimate the charge on each plate.
____ pC
(c) Estimate the electric field halfway between the plates.
___ V/m
(d) Estimate the work done by the battery to charge the plates.
____ J

Homework Equations

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The Attempt at a Solution

I have no idea where to start

 

[ideasrule]

What's the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor?

 

[almedmat]

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/pplate.html#c2

It says there

 

[ideasrule]

Yes, so you should be able to calculate the capacitance of the homemade capacitor, which is essentially two parallel plates.

 

[almedmat]

Can you point of which formula(s) i should use? Thanks

 

[ideasrule]

How about the formula for the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor? You linked to it for me:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/pplate.html#c2

C=A*epsilon/d

 

[almedmat]

What does A or D refer to? and What is the Epslion number?

 

[ideasrule]

I think you need to reread the chapter in your textbook about capacitors (and possibly the chapter about Gauss' law).