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Questions and Answers
What is the relationship between the energy stored in a capacitor and the potential difference across it?
What is the relationship between the energy stored in a capacitor and the potential difference across it?
What does the area under a p.d.-charge graph represent?
What does the area under a p.d.-charge graph represent?
If the potential difference across a capacitor is doubled, what happens to the energy stored in the capacitor?
If the potential difference across a capacitor is doubled, what happens to the energy stored in the capacitor?
Which of the following equations is NOT a valid expression for the energy stored in a capacitor?
Which of the following equations is NOT a valid expression for the energy stored in a capacitor?
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A 10 μF capacitor is charged to a potential difference of 100 V. What is the energy stored in the capacitor?
A 10 μF capacitor is charged to a potential difference of 100 V. What is the energy stored in the capacitor?
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A capacitor stores 2 J of energy when the potential difference across it is 10 V. What is the capacitance of the capacitor?
A capacitor stores 2 J of energy when the potential difference across it is 10 V. What is the capacitance of the capacitor?
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What is the equivalent capacitance when two $10 \mu F$ capacitors are connected in series?
What is the equivalent capacitance when two $10 \mu F$ capacitors are connected in series?
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When capacitors are connected in parallel, which of the following is true?
When capacitors are connected in parallel, which of the following is true?
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If two capacitors, with capacitances of $C_1$ and $C_2$ respectively, are connected in series, what is the equivalent capacitance?
If two capacitors, with capacitances of $C_1$ and $C_2$ respectively, are connected in series, what is the equivalent capacitance?
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If three capacitors of $2 \mu F$, $3 \mu F$ and $6 \mu F$ are connected in parallel, what is the total capacitance?
If three capacitors of $2 \mu F$, $3 \mu F$ and $6 \mu F$ are connected in parallel, what is the total capacitance?
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Which of the following is true about charge when capacitors are connected in series?
Which of the following is true about charge when capacitors are connected in series?
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How does the total capacitance of capacitors in a series circuit compare to the individual capacitances?
How does the total capacitance of capacitors in a series circuit compare to the individual capacitances?
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If the charge on a capacitor is doubled, and the capacitance remains constant, how does the energy stored change?
If the charge on a capacitor is doubled, and the capacitance remains constant, how does the energy stored change?
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Which of the following statements accurately describes the relationship between capacitance and energy stored when the charge remains constant?
Which of the following statements accurately describes the relationship between capacitance and energy stored when the charge remains constant?
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What does the area under the potential difference-charge graph for a capacitor represent?
What does the area under the potential difference-charge graph for a capacitor represent?
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When a capacitor is being charged, what is the role of the external power supply?
When a capacitor is being charged, what is the role of the external power supply?
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A capacitor stores 0.5 J of energy when charged to a 10 V potential difference. What happens to the energy stored if the capacitor is charged to 20 V, assuming the capacitance remains constant?
A capacitor stores 0.5 J of energy when charged to a 10 V potential difference. What happens to the energy stored if the capacitor is charged to 20 V, assuming the capacitance remains constant?
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Which of the following best describes the flow of electrons during the charging process of a capacitor?
Which of the following best describes the flow of electrons during the charging process of a capacitor?
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If two capacitors have the same charge, but one has twice the capacitance of the other, how does the energy stored in the capacitors compare?
If two capacitors have the same charge, but one has twice the capacitance of the other, how does the energy stored in the capacitors compare?
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In the experimental setup, why does the ammeter reading settle to zero after initially registering a current when the switch is closed?
In the experimental setup, why does the ammeter reading settle to zero after initially registering a current when the switch is closed?
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According to the results, what can cause the difference in calculated charges ($Q_1$ and $Q_2$)?
According to the results, what can cause the difference in calculated charges ($Q_1$ and $Q_2$)?
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In the first row of Table 1, what is the ratio of $Q_1$ to $Q_2$?
In the first row of Table 1, what is the ratio of $Q_1$ to $Q_2$?
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If the voltage across the 500 µF capacitor is measured to be 3.00 V, what is the stored charge, in micro Coulombs?
If the voltage across the 500 µF capacitor is measured to be 3.00 V, what is the stored charge, in micro Coulombs?
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According to the data in the table, which statement is most accurate for this serial circuit?
According to the data in the table, which statement is most accurate for this serial circuit?
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Why is a resistor included in the circuit?
Why is a resistor included in the circuit?
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What is the most appropriate unit for measuring the charge stored on a capacitor in this experiment?
What is the most appropriate unit for measuring the charge stored on a capacitor in this experiment?
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In the circuit diagram, if the 500 µF capacitor was replaced by a 250 µF capacitor, and the voltage across a 1000 µF remained the same as the row 2 values, what would happen to the charge on the 250 µF capacitor ($Q_1$)?
In the circuit diagram, if the 500 µF capacitor was replaced by a 250 µF capacitor, and the voltage across a 1000 µF remained the same as the row 2 values, what would happen to the charge on the 250 µF capacitor ($Q_1$)?
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With reference to the ammeter, what is the main difference between the instant the switch is closed, versus when the circuit has reached its steady state?
With reference to the ammeter, what is the main difference between the instant the switch is closed, versus when the circuit has reached its steady state?
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How does changing the power supply's voltage affect the charge stored on the capacitors?
How does changing the power supply's voltage affect the charge stored on the capacitors?
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Study Notes
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and application of:
- total capacitance of capacitors in series,
- total capacitance of capacitors in parallel,
- analysis of circuits containing capacitors
- investigation of circuits containing capacitors.
Connecting Capacitors
- Supercapacitors are compact specialist capacitors with capacitance values in the thousands of farads.
- They are used as alternatives to battery packs, memory backup devices, and emergency lighting.
- Unlike rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors can be charged over and over again.
- You are unlikely to have such capacitors in your laboratory.
- However, if you wanted a particular value, you would need an enormous number of capacitors.
Capacitors in Parallel
- Figure 1 shows two capacitors of capacitances C₁ and C₂ connected in parallel.
- Together, their capacitance is greater than their individual capacitances, so the combination will store more charge for a given potential difference (p.d.).
- For two or more capacitors in parallel:
- The p.d. V across each capacitor is the same.
- Electrical charge is conserved. The total charge stored by the combination is the sum of the individual charges stored by the capacitors, Q = Q₁ + Q₂ + ....
- The total capacitance C is the sum of the individual capacitances of the capacitors, C = C₁ + C₂ + ....
Capacitors in Series
- Figure 2 shows two capacitors of capacitances C₁ and C₂ connected in series.
- Together, their capacitance is less than their individual capacitances.
- All the capacitors in series store the same charge. This is even true when they have different capacitances.
- The cell is connected to the left-hand plate of the capacitor of capacitance C₁ and to the right-hand plate of the capacitor of capacitance C₂.
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Description
This quiz covers the fundamentals of capacitors, including total capacitance in series and parallel configurations, and the analysis of circuits containing capacitors. Explore concepts related to supercapacitors and their applications, as well as practical circuit investigations.
