Question: How does the final (equilibrium) charge on the capacitor plates depend on the particular resistor (for example, the kind of bulb or the length of Nichrome wire) in the circuit during charging? Explain briefly.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The capacitor's charging depends on the cross-sectional area of the wire or filament of the bulb.

Step by step solution

01

Assume some data on behalf of given question.

Let assume the resistance of the filament of the nichrome wire isR .

Area of the capacitor plates is A.

02

Determine the formulas that shows the relation between the final charge and resistance of the element.

The electron charge or current is defined as the number of the electron enter the wire every second.

The expression to calculate the electron current at the location Dis given as follows.

role="math" localid="1668592073069" i=nAμE …… (i)

Here, is the number of the electron, is the cross-sectional area, is the mobility and is the electrical field.

03

Determine that how the final charge on the capacitor depends on the particular resistance.

The electric field inside the capacitor plates is constant, and the current in the filament of the bulb and wire varies during the charging. The mobility is a constant value for the particular material. Therefore, the current depends on the cross-sectional area.

From equation (i), the current in the bulb's filament is directly proportional to the cross-sectional area. If the cross-sectional area of the wire or filament of the bulb is low, then the current through the wire and bulb's filament is low.

Hence, the capacitor's charging depends on the cross-sectional area of the wire or filament of the bulb.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Consider two capacitors whose only difference is that the plates of capacitor number 2 are closer together than those of capacitor number 1 (Figure 19.56). Neither, capacitors has an insulating layer between the plates. They are placed in two different circuits having similar batteries and bulbs in series with the capacitor.

Show that in the first fraction of a second, the current stays nearly constant (decreases less rapidly) in the circuit with capacitor number 2. Explain your reasoning in detail.

Hint: Show charges on metal plates, and consider the electric fields they produce in the nearby wires. Remember that the fringe field near a plate outside a circular capacitor is approximately-

(QAεo)(s2R)

More extensive analysis shows that this trend holds true for the entire charging process: the capacitor with the narrower gap ends up with more charge on the plates.

The capacitor in Figure 19.67 is initially uncharged, then the circuit is connected. Which graph in Figure 19.66 best describes the current through the bulb as a function of time?

A particular capacitor is initially charged. Then a high-resistance Nichrome wire is connected between the plates of the capacitor, as shown in Figure 19.69. The needle of a compass placed under the wire deflects 20°to the east as soon as the connection is made. After 60sthe compass needle no longer deflects.

(a)Which of the diagrams in Figure 19.69 best indicates the electron current at three locations in this circuit? (1) 0.01safter the circuit is connected, (2) 15s after the circuit is connected, (3) 120s after the circuit is connected.

(b)Which of the diagrams in Figure 19.70 best indicates the net electric field inside the wire at three locations in this circuit? (1) 0.01s after the circuit is connected, (2) 15safter the circuit is connected, (3) 120s after the circuit is connected.

A circuit consists of two batteries (with negligible internal resistance), five ohmic resistors (Figure 19.88). The connecting wires that have negligible resistance. The letters A through are shown to make it possible to refer to specific parts of the circuit.

(a) Write all the equations necessary to solve for the unknown currents I1, I2, I3, I4 and I5, whose directions are indicated on the circuit diagram. Do not solve the equations but do explain very clearly what your equations are based on and to what they refer.

Assume that a computer program has solved your equations in terms of known battery voltages and known resistances so that the currents I1, I2,I3 ,I4and I5are are known. (b) In terms of known quantities calculate VD-VAand check that your sign makes sense. (c) In terms of known quantities, calculate the power produced in battery number 2.

What are the units of conductivity σ, resistivity ρ, resistance R, and current density J?

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