Where Does the Charge Go When Connected to a Grounded Capacitor?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nanoath
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Charge
AI Thread Summary
When a charged object is connected to a grounded capacitor, the charge of the object decreases as it transfers some of its charge to the capacitor, which initially was uncharged. The capacitor's plate acquires the same charge as the object, while the grounded side of the capacitor draws an equal but opposite charge from the ground. This creates a potential difference between the capacitor plates, allowing energy to be stored. Electrons cannot move between the plates due to the insulating material separating them. Charge does not disappear in a local system; it is redistributed between the charged object and the capacitor.
Nanoath
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
What happens to a charged object, it can be anything, when it's connected to a capacitor, and the other side of the capacitor is grounded.
Does the charge disappear?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
No. When the charged object is connected to the capacitor(plate), the charge of the object will reduce as much as the charge increases in the capacitor (if the capacitor was uncharged before). In other words the capacitor(plate) will get the same charge as the object. (Both have either + or - charge). Since the other "side" of the capacitor is connected to the ground, an equal, yet opposite charge will "emerge" from the ground to the other plate. There is now a potential difference between the plates due to the charge differences of the plates, and thus energy is stored. Electrons cannot travel from one plate to the other because of the insulating material between them.

Charge never just "disappears" (in a local system).
 
This is my guess... You might want to check with somebody whose smarter than me...

Just to make it clear. You move the charged object from the capacitor after it has given part of its charge to the plate? So they don't stay connected.
 
Ofey said:
No. When the charged object is connected to the capacitor(plate), the charge of the object will reduce as much as the charge increases in the capacitor (if the capacitor was uncharged before). In other words the capacitor(plate) will get the same charge as the object. (Both have either + or - charge). Since the other "side" of the capacitor is connected to the ground, an equal, yet opposite charge will "emerge" from the ground to the other plate. There is now a potential difference between the plates due to the charge differences of the plates, and thus energy is stored. Electrons cannot travel from one plate to the other because of the insulating material between them.

Charge never just "disappears" (in a local system).

Right.
 
Ofey said:
No. When the charged object is connected to the capacitor(plate), the charge of the object will reduce as much as the charge increases in the capacitor (if the capacitor was uncharged before). In other words the capacitor(plate) will get the same charge as the object.

Careful, Ofey -- the charged object and the capacitor plate will eventually reach the same electric potential, not the same charge. C=\frac{Q}{V}.
 
Appreciate the correction
 
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.
Back
Top