Rankers Physics
Topic: Capacitors
Subtopic: Parallel Plate Capacitor

A capacitor of capacitance 1μF and charge 1μC is connected to a 2μF capacitor charged to 4 μC with the terminals of unlike sign together. The final charge on the two capacitors is
1/3 μC and 1/3 μC
1 μC and 2 μC
1/3 μC and 1 μC
2/3 μC and 2/3 μC

Solution:

Let's solve this using the direct formula.

Formula:

The final common voltage VV across the capacitors after they are connected is given by:

V=C1V1C2V2C1+C2V = \frac{C_1 V_1 - C_2 V_2}{C_1 + C_2}

Step 1: Given Data

  • C1=1μF,Q1=1μCV1=Q1C1=11=1VC_1 = 1 \, \mu\text{F}, \, Q_1 = 1 \, \mu\text{C} \Rightarrow V_1 = \frac{Q_1}{C_1} = \frac{1}{1} = 1 \, \text{V}
  • C2=2μF,Q2=4μCV2=Q2C2=42=2VC_2 = 2 \, \mu\text{F}, \, Q_2 = 4 \, \mu\text{C} \Rightarrow V_2 = \frac{Q_2}{C_2} = \frac{4}{2} = 2 \, \text{V}

Step 2: Final Voltage

Substitute into the formula:

V=C1V1C2V2C1+C2=11221+2=143=33=1V.V = \frac{C_1 V_1 - C_2 V_2}{C_1 + C_2} = \frac{1 \cdot 1 - 2 \cdot 2}{1 + 2} = \frac{1 - 4}{3} = \frac{-3}{3} = -1 \, \text{V}.

(Note: The negative sign indicates the direction of potential difference.)

Step 3: Final Charges

The final charges on the capacitors are calculated using Q=CVQ = C \cdot V:

  • For C1C_1: Q1=C1V=1(1)=1μCQ_1' = C_1 \cdot V = 1 \cdot (-1) = -1 \, \mu\text{C}, but in magnitude, Q1=1μCQ_1' = 1 \, \mu\text{C}.
  • For C2C_2: Q2=C2V=2(1)=2μCQ_2' = C_2 \cdot V = 2 \cdot (-1) = -2 \, \mu\text{C}, but in magnitude, Q2=2μCQ_2' = 2 \, \mu\text{C}.

Final Answer:

The final charges are:

1μCand2μC.\boxed{1 \, \mu\text{C} \, \text{and} \, 2 \, \mu\text{C}}.

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