A parallel-plate vacuum capacitor with plate area and separation has charges and on…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences
Problem
A parallel-plate vacuum capacitor with plate area A and separation x has charges +Q and −Q on its plates. The capacitor is disconnected from the source of charge, so the charge on each plate remains fixed.
(a) What is the total energy stored in the capacitor?
(b) The plates are pulled apart an additional distance dx. What is the change in the stored energy?
(c) If F is the force with which the plates attract each other, then the change in the stored energy equals the work dW=Fdx done in pulling the plates apart. Find an expression for F.
(d) Explain why F is not equal to QE, where E is the electric field between the plates.