A slab of material is to be tested to decide whether it should be used as the central…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism · Conductors and Capacitors · Conductors and Capacitors
Problem
A slab of material is to be tested to decide whether it should be used as the central layer of a high-voltage capacitor.
The slab is cut into a small block and placed successively in four separate experimental setups:
(i) From the evidence in the four setups, identify whether the material behaves as a conductor or a dielectric. Give reasons for each observation cited above.
(ii) Distinguish clearly between free charges and bound charges. State which type of charge is responsible for the alignment observed in setup 2.
(iii) Explain why a conductor placed in a static electric field develops no electric field within its bulk, whereas a dielectric does. Relate your explanation to the mobility (or lack of mobility) of charge carriers in the two materials.