Name: Amaquin, Lera Mae C.

Year Level/Section: BSECE 1-7

Date: May 9, 2023
Laboratory Activity 6 in Physics 2: Stored Energy in Capacitor
I. Objective: To simulate and calculate the stored energy in capacitor.
II. Procedure: Open the simulation in
https://www.compadre.org/Physlets/electromagnetism/ex26_1.cfm
III. Q&A, Observation:

Wait for the calculation to finish. As you move the bottom

capacitor plate (and allow the applet to finish calculating after
each move), the graph shows the stored energy as a function of
separation distance between the plates (position is given in
millimeters, charge is given in nanocoulombs, and
energy is given in nanojoules).

a. Given that the stored energy (the potential energy) is Q∆V/2, what is the voltage difference
between the plates?
i. Measure Q, stored energy, and calculate ∆V for several cases.

Q Energy ∆V
16 nC 200 nJ 12.5 V
18 nC 210 nJ 11.67 V
23 nC 220 nJ 9.57 V
39 nC 300 nJ 7.70 V
51 nC 520 nJ 10.20V

b. Does the voltage difference between the plates change?

i. The answer to this should indicate whether, as the plates were moved, a battery was connected or
not. Also this must be consistent with what happens to the amount of charge. Discuss.

If a capacitor is connected in series with a battery, then the potential difference between the plates is fixed and equal to
the voltage of the battery. Therefore, if the capacitance changes, then the charge on the capacitor plates must change as
well in order to keep the potential difference between the plates constant.

If the capacitor, however, is disconnected from the circuit, say after being charged to a particular potential difference,
then the charge on the plates will remain fixed, and a change in capacitance (like moving the plates together) results in
a change in potential difference precisely as you point out.

c. How does the capacitance change as you move the plates?

i. Be specific and consider what happens as the spacing is doubled or cut in half.

The capacitance in the capacitor is given by : C=EoA/d

 Where; Eo=permeabilitty of free space A=
area of the plates
d= distance between plates
When the spacing is doubled, the capacitance will be halved.
When the spacing is cut half, the spacing is reduced to half, capacitance will be doubled.
d. What is the area of the plates for this capacitor?
i. You do not know how far into the page the plate extends. You should assume that the plate acts as
a good parallel plate capacitor. Then you should determine the capacitance, and then A. Note the
units given in the intro. paragraph.

The capacitance is given by :

C=EoA/d
Then area ‘’A’= Cd/EoA

We know energy E=1/2QV, Also C=Q/V; V=Q/C

Then E=1/2 Q^2/C; C=Q^2/2E

Then Area A=d/Eo (Q^2/2E) = ((d x 10^-3)(Q x 10^-18) )/ (Eo x 2 x 10^-9 x E)

Given that Q= nano Coulombs

A= dQ X 10^-12/ 2EoE E= nano joules

We know that Eo= 8.85 x 10^-12 d= millimeters

A= dQ / 2 (8.85 x E) m^2

e. Why does the charge change as you move the plates?

As you move the plates closer together or farther apart, the charge distribution on the plates can change. This is because
the charges on the plates experience an electrostatic force that depends on the distance between the plates and the
distribution of charges on the plates.

When the plates are moved closer together, the electric field between the plates increases. This can cause the charges on
the plates to redistribute, with some of the charges moving closer to each other and others moving farther apart. This
redistribution of charges can result in a change in the net charge on each plate.

Therefore, the charge on the plates can change as the plates are moved closer together or farther apart, due to the
redistribution of charges caused by the electrostatic force between the charges on the plates.

IV: Conclusion

f. As you move the plates closer together, does the stored energy increase or decrease?

If we consider a system of two parallel plates separated by a distance d and charged to a potential difference
V, the electric field between the plates is given by E=V/d. The energy stored in the electric field between the plates is
given by U=(1/2)ε0E^2Ad, where ε0 is the permittivity of free space, A is the area of the plates, and d is the distance
between them.
As we bring the plates closer together, the distance between them (d) decreases, which leads to an increase in the
electric field (E) between them. This increase in electric field results in an increase in the energy stored in the electric
field between the plates, as shown by the equation for U. Therefore, the stored energy in the system typically increases
as the plates are brought closer together.

It's worth noting that in certain cases, bringing the plates closer together may cause the charges on the plates to
redistribute, which can change the potential difference (V) between them and therefore affect the stored energy.
However, in general, the stored energy increases as the plates are brought closer together.

g. Does that mean you would need to do positive work to push the plates together or pull them apart? Explain.
i. Think carefully about all the charges that you have. The two plates get closer together, but also
consider what is happening on an individual plate.

Yes, you would need to do work to push the plates together or pull them apart. This work would be required to
overcome the electrostatic repulsion between the charges on the plates.

As the plates are brought closer together, the distance between the charges on each plate also decreases. This leads to
an increase in the electrostatic repulsion between the like charges on each plate, which opposes the movement of the
plates towards each other. To overcome this repulsion and move the plates closer together, an external force must be
applied, which requires work to be done.

Similarly, when the plates are pulled apart, an external force is required to overcome the attraction between the
opposite charges on the plates. This also requires work to be done.

In both cases, the work required to move the plates is equal to the change in the potential energy of the system, which
depends on the distance between the plates and the charge distribution on the plates.

h. Since potential energy U = Q∆V/2, if ∆V is kept constant, what is U (potential energy) as a function of the
separation distance? Verify that this is the relationship shown on the plot.

If the potential difference ∆V is kept constant, the potential energy U between two parallel plates separated by a
distance d and with a charge Q is given by:

U = Q∆V/2 = Q(dE)/2 = (1/2)ε0AE^2d^2

where E is the electric field between the plates and is equal to E = ∆V/d.

Substituting E = ∆V/d, we get:

U = (1/2)ε0A(∆V/d)^2d^2

Simplifying the equation, we get:

U = (1/2)ε0A(∆V)^2/d

This equation shows that the potential energy between two parallel plates is inversely proportional to the distance
between the plates (d), while holding the potential difference constant. As the plates are brought closer together, the
potential energy increases, which is consistent with the relationship shown on the plot.

To verify this relationship, we can use the data from the plot and calculate the potential energy as a function of the
separation distance using the equation:

U = (1/2)ε0A(∆V)^2/d
We would expect to see a decreasing trend in potential energy as the distance between the plates increases, while holding
the potential difference constant.

If we plot the calculated values of potential energy using the above equation against the separation distance, we should
get a curve that matches the trend shown on the plot. If there is a match between the calculated curve and the plot, then
it confirms that the potential energy is inversely proportional to the separation distance, while holding the potential
difference constant.