Potential Difference & Capacitance

Potential Difference (V)

The potential difference between two points is defined as the work done in bringing a unit charge from one point to another-measured in volts scalar quantity.

From the definition:

Work done in moving a charge Q through a potential difference V = work to move 1 coulomb x no. of coulombs W=VQ V=W/Q

Definition of the volt

1 volt is the potential difference when 1 joule of work is done to bring 1 coulomb of charge from one point to the other. 1 volt = 1 joule per coulomb 1 V = 1 J C-1

Potential difference and electric field strength

If the electric field is weak then the force per unit charge at that point is small. Thus the work done in bringing a unit charge to that point (i.e. the potential difference) is small.pThe stronger the electric field between two points, the bigger the potential between them.

Potential difference causes current

Current flows because there is a difference in potential between two points-if there were no potential difference there would be no current.

Potential at a point
Usually all we care about is differences in potential between two points, occasionally you need the absolute potential at a point. To do this we take the earth as a reference point. We say the earth is at zero potential, so to get the absolute potential of a point we measure the potential difference between it and the earth.

Potential on a conductor
All points on a charged conductor are at the same potential if this were not the case there would be a potential difference between two points and this would cause the charges to move until there was no resulting potential difference between the two points

 Thus, if the charges are static it must mean that all points are at the same potential. THERE IS NO POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANY TWO POINTS ON ANY CONDUCTOR

Capacitance
Capacitance= the ratio of the charge to the potential C = Q/V measured in farads F.

Capacitance of a charged conductor

The capacitance of a charged conductor is increased by bringing an oppositely charged conductor near itp If you have a positively charged object it is difficult to put extra positive charges onto it - due to repulsion.

If you bring a negatively charged object nearby, it reduces the potential of the positive object, hence it is now easier to put an extra positive charge onto the object. Since C = Q/V, as V has been lowered, C will have increased.

Parallel Plate Capacitor

Consists of two parallel plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric. The capacitance of the capacitor depends on (a) the area of overlap of the two plates (A) (b) the distance apart of the plates (d) ( c) the material of the dielectric (I = permittivity of the dielectric) C=IA/d

Charging a capacitor
If a capacitor is connected to a battery it will charge-Electrons flow from the negative of the battery to the plate of the capacitor, and builds up on this plate. This repels the electrons on the other plate of the capacitor and they flow back to the battery

 Thus one plate is negatively charged and the other is positively charged. As the charge builds up, the voltage across the capacitor increases, which causes the flow of electrons to decrease. The flow of electrons stops when the potential across the capacitor =potential across the battery. at this point the capacitor is fully charged

Discharging a capacitor
If the capacitor is then disconnected from the battery it retains its charge. If it is then connected across a lamp, the capacitor discharges and the electrons flow back from the negative to the positive plate through the lamp.

Action of a capacitor
While a capacitor is in the process of charging it allows current to flow through it. Once the capacitor is fully charged it stops current flowing through.

Capacitors and AC
With AC, the current switches direction 100 times per second. Thus the capacitor starts to fill from one side, then when the current switches direction, the capacitor discharges in this direction and starts to charge from the other direction.

Capacitors and AC (ctd)

Thus the capacitor is continuously charging and discharging and so never gets fully charged. This is why a capacitor allows ac to flow through it.

Capacitors and DC
With DC the current is always in the same direction. Thus, once the capacitor is fully charged it stops any current flowing through it. This is why a capacitor blocks DC once it is fully charged.

Energy stored in a capacitor

The energy stored in a charged capacitor is given by E = C V2 Used together with the formula C = Q/ V this should allow you to calculate energy in most situations-by allowing you to derive the formulae E = QV E = Q2 / C