CAPACITANCE-1

1. When 1.0 1012 electrons are transferred from one conductor to another, a potential difference of
10 V appears between the conductors. Calculate the capacitance of the two-conductor system.

2. The plates of a parallel-plate capacitor are made of circular discs of radii 5.0 cm each. If the
separation between the plates is 1.0 mm, what is the capacitance?

3. Suppose, one wishes to construct a 1.0 farad capacitor using circular discs. If the separation
between the discs be kept at 1.0 mm, what would be the radius of the discs?

4. A parallel-plate capacitor having plate area 25 cm2 and separation 1.00 mm is connected to a
battery of 6.0 V. Calculate the charge flown through the battery. How much work has been done
by the battery during the process?

5. A parallel-plate capacitor has plate area 25.0 cm2 and a separation of 2.00 mm between the
plates. The capacitor is connected to a battery of 12.0 V. (a) Find the charge on the capacitor. (b)
The plate separation is decreased to 1.00 mm. Find the extra charge given by the battery to the
positive plate.

6. Find the charges on the three capacitors connected to a battery as C1 v C2 C3

shown in figure. Take C1 = 2.0 F, C2 = 4.0 F, C3 = 6.0 F and V =
12 volt.

7. A capacitor is made of a flat plate of area A and a second plate having a

stair-like structure as shown in figure. The width of each stair is a and the b
height is b. Find the capacitance of the assembly. d a

3a

8. A cylindrical capacitor is constructed using two coaxial cylinders of the same length 10 cm and of
radii 2 mm and 4 mm. (a) Calculate the capacitance. (b) Another capacitor of the same length is
constructed with cylinders of radii 4 mm and 8 mm. Calculate the capacitance.

9. The two square faces of a rectangular dielectric slab (dielectric constant 4.0) of dimensions 20
cm × 20 cm × 1.0 mm are metal-coated. Find the capacitance between the coated surfaces.

10. If the above capacitor is connected across a 6.0 V battery, find (a) the charge supplied by the
battery, (b) the induced charge on the dielectric and (c) the net charge appearing on one of the
coated surfaces.

11. The separation between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor is 0.500 cm and its plate area is
100 cm2. A 0.400 cm thick metal plate is inserted into the gap with its faces parallel to the plates.
Show that the capacitance of the assembly is independent of the position of the metal plate
within the gap and find its value.

12. A capacitor stores 50 C charge when connected across a battery. When the gap between the
plates is filled with a dielectric, a charge of 100 C flows through the battery. Find the dielectric
constant of the material inserted.
13. A parallel-plate capacitor has plate area 100 cm2 and plate separation 1.0 cm. A glass plate
(dielectric constant 6.0) of thickness 6.0 mm and an ebonite plate (dielectric constant 4.0) are
inserted one over the other to fill the space between the plates of the capacitor. Find the new
capacitance.

14. Find the capacitances of the capacitors shown in figure. The plate area is A and the separation
between the plates is d. Different dielectric slabs in a particular part of the figure are of the same
thickness and the entire gap between the plates is filled with the dielectric slabs.

K1 K1
K2 K1 K2
K1 K3

(a) (b) (c)

15. A capacitor is formed by two square metal-plates of edge a, separated by a distance d.

Dielectrics of dielectric constants K1 and K2 re filled in the gap as shown in figure. Find the
capacitance.
K1
K2

a
16. A spherical capacitor is made of two conducting spherical shells of radii a and b. The space
between the shells is filled with a dielectric constant K upto radius c as shown in figure. Calculate
the capacitance.
b

17. Consider an assembly of three conducting concentric spherical shells of radii a, b and c as
shown in figure. Find the capacitance of the assembly between the points A and B.
B
c A
a

18. Suppose the space between the two inner shells of the previous problem is filled with a dielectric
of dielectric constant K. Find the capacitance of the system between A and B.
19. The gap between the plates of a plane capacitor is filled with an isotropic insulator whose di-
electric constant varies in the direction perpendicular to the plates according to the law
  
K = K1 1 + sin x  , where d is the separation, between the plates & K1 is a constant. The area
 d 
of the plates is S. Determine the capacitance of the capacitor.

20. The gap between the plates of a parallel plate capacitor is filled with an isotropic dielectric whose
dielectric constant K varies linearly from K1 to K2 (> K1) in the direction perpendicular to the
plates. The area of each plate is A and the separation between the plates is d. Find the
expression for the capacitance between the plates.

21. n conducting plates are placed face to face. Distance between two consecutive plate is d. Area
of plates are A, A/2, A/4, A/8, .... A/2n–1.
(a) Find the equivalent capacitance of the system.
(b) A dielectric slab of dielectric constant K is inserted between the first and second plates and
the assembly is charged by battery of emf E. Find the charge stored in the assembly.

22. Calculate the capacitance of a parallel plate condenser, with plate area A and distance between
plates d, when filled with a medium whose permittivity varies as;
d
 ( x ) =0 +x 0x
2
d
 ( x ) =0 + ( d − x )  x  d.
2

For what value of  would the capacity of the condenser be twice that when it is without any
di-electric?
 ANSWER KEY

1. 1.6 10−8 F
2. 6.95 10−5 F
3. 6 km
4. 1.33 10−10 C, 8.0 10−10 J
5. (a) 1.33 10−10 C (b) 1.33 10−10 C
6. 24 C, 48C, 72C
0 A ( 3d 2 + 6bd + 2b 2 )
7.
3d ( d + b )( d + 2b )
8. (a) 8 pF (b) same as in (a)
9. 1.42 nF
10. (a) 8.5 nC (b) 6.4 nC (c) 2.1 nC
11. 88 pF
12. 3
13. 44 pF
2K1K 20 A 30 AK1K 2 K 3
14. (a) (b)
d ( K1 + K 2 ) d ( K1K 2 + K 2 K 3 + K 3K1 )
A
(c) 0 ( K1 + K 2 )
2d
K
0 K1K 2 a 2 ln 1
K2
15.
( K1 − K 2 ) d
40 Kabc
16.
Ka ( b − c ) + b ( c − a )
40ac
17.
c−a
40 Kabc
18.
Ka ( c − b ) + c ( b − a )
 SK1
19. C= 0
2d
A 0 ( K 2 − K1 )
20.
d ln ( K 2 / K1 )
0 A 0 AE
21. (a) (b)
( 2n − 2 ) d 1 
2d  + 2n −1 − 2 
K 
A
22. C= ,  = 2 0 / d
 d 
2 ln 1 + 
 2 0 