Name & Section: JANIN ISRAEL D.

ARABES Date Submitted: ______________

Group #: 5 Rating: _____________________

Investigation 5:

Capacitance

Introduction:

Capacitors are energy-storing devices available in many sizes and shapes that can store electrical energy.
On the other hand, capacitance is the ability of a capacitor to collect and store energy in the form of an
electrical charge. Capacitance is measured in Farads (F). There are quite several factors that can affect
the capacitance of a capacitor. In this investigation, students will explore about capacitance through
some online simulations.

Objectives:

At the end of this investigation, the students are expected to:

1. Investigate the factors that affect the capacitance of a capacitor.

2. Describe the changes in the capacitance upon changing some variables that affect it.

Materials: Online Simulations

Procedure:

1. Access the simulation found at this link: https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/capacitor-lab-

basics/latest/capacitor-lab-basics_en.html.
2. In the Home tab, choose “Ligh Bulb”.
3. At the start of the simulation, the capacitor is connected to a 0-V battery by default. Disconnect
it from the battery by dragging its detachable terminals towards the dashed circle ends of the
wire that connects the bulb. Observe what happened to the bulb.
4. Now, disconnect the capacitor from the bulb and reconnect it to the battery. This time, raise the
voltage of the battery to full potential (1.5 V) and take note of what can be observed on the
conductive plates. Let the battery stay 1.5 V or about 10 seconds. Afterwards, disconnect the
plates from the battery and connect it again to the light bulb. Observe what happens to the light
bulb.
5. Reconnect the capacitor to the battery of 1.5 V. This time, change the separation distance from
by bringing the plates closer or farther from each other. Observe what happens to the
capacitance of the capacitor by doing so.
6. Take note of 5 different separation distances in ascending order and measure the resulting
capacitance in each change. Record your data in Table 1. Then, infer about the effects of
increasing or decreasing the separation distance of the plates on the amount of capacitance
based on the data.
7. While being connected still to 1.5-V battery, adjust the area of the plates by dragging the arrow
diagonally up and down. Observe what happens to the capacitance values by doing so.
 8. Take note of 5 different areas of the plates in ascending order and measure the resulting
capacitance in each change. Record your data on Table 2. Then, infer about the effects of
increasing or decreasing the area of the plates on the amount of capacitance based on the data.
9. Disconnect the charged capacitor from the 1.5-V battery and drag it towards the dashed circle at
the right. Make sure the charges on the plates are visible. Then, drag voltmeter at the right
towards the capacitor. Connect the red cable to the circle on the upper terminal while the black
cable to that on the lower terminal. Now, increase and decrease the separation distance.
Observe the reading of the potential difference by the voltmeter.
10. Take note of 5 different potential difference across the capacitor in ascending order and
measure the resulting capacitance for each potential difference. Record your data on Table 3.
Then, infer about the effects of increasing or decreasing the potential difference across the
capacitor on the amount of capacitance.
11. Observe the effects on the capacitance when the amount of charge in the top plate is increased
or decreased. Take note of 5 different charge values in ascending order and measure its
corresponding capacitance. Record your data on Table 4. Then, infer about the effects of
increasing or decreasing the amount of stored charge on the amount of capacitance based on
the data.
12. Observe the effects on the capacitance when the amount of stored energy in the capacitor is
increased or decreased. Take note of 5 different charge values in ascending order and measure
its corresponding capacitance. Record your data on Table 5. Then, infer about the effects of
increasing or decreasing the amount of stored energy on the amount of capacitance based on
the data.
13. Access a simulation through this link address:
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/cheerpj/capacitor-lab/latest/capacitor-lab.html?
simulation=capacitor-lab. If it won’t work, here’s a recording video:
https://www.loom.com/share/daa434d6a585410abea715262df8e222
14. Change the dielectric material to Teflon, paper, and glass. Take note of the amount of dielectric
constant of each and the corresponding capacitance. Record your data in Table 6. Infer about
the effects of using a dielectric with higher or lower dielectric constants on the amount of
capacitance based on the data.

Data Presentation:

Table 1: Amounts of capacitance given different separation distances of the plates

Separation Distance (r) Capacitance (C)

2 mm 0.89 pF
4 mm 0.44 pF
6 mm 0.30 pF
8 mm 0.22 pF
10 mm 0.18 pF
Inference:
Table 2: Amounts of capacitance given different area of the plates
Area of the Plates (A) Capacitance (C)
100 mm^2 0.15 pF
150 mm^2 0.22 pF
200 mm^2 0.30 pF
250 mm^2 0.37 pF
300 mm^2 0.44 pF
Inference:

Table 3: Amounts of capacitance given different potential difference across the capacitor

Potential Difference (V) Capacitance (C)

0.500 V 0.89 pF
1.000 V 0.44 pF
1.500 V 0.30 pF
2.000 V 0.22 pF
2.500 V 0.18 pF
Inference:

Table 4: Amounts of capacitance given different amounts of charges stored in the positive plate

Charge (q) Capacitance (C)

1.33 pC 0.89 pF
0.66 pC 0.44 pF
0.44 pC 0.30 pF
0.33 pC 0.22 pF
0.27 pC 0.18 pF
Inference:
Table 5: Amounts of capacitance given different amounts of stored energy in the capacitor

Energy (E) Capacitance (C)

1.00 pJ 0.89 pF
0.50 pJ 0.44 pF
0.33 pJ 0.30 pF
0.25 pJ 0.22 pF
0.20 pJ 0.18 pF
Inference:

Table 6: Amounts of capacitance given different dielectric materials

Dielectric Material Dielectric Constant Capacitance (C)

No dielectric 0 0.09 x 10^12 F
Teflon 2.1 0.19 x 10^12 F
Paper 3.5 0.31 x 10^12 F
Glass 4.7 0.42 x 10^12 F

Inference:
Analysis: (Write your answers on a separate bondpaper)

1. During procedure #3, did the light bulb light up? Yes, or no? Why did it or did not? Explain.
2. During procedure #4, did the light bulb light up? Yes, or no? Why did it or did not? Explain.
3. If your answer to item #2 is yes, did it go on shining? If not, just for how long did it go on until
going off; and why did the light go off?
4. During procedure #5, explain why your observation happened.
5. What kind of relationship is displayed by the variables in Table 1? Justify your answer.
6. What kind of relationship is displayed by the variables in Table 2? Justify your answer.
7. What kind of relationship is displayed by the variables in Table 3? Justify your answer.
8. What kind of relationship is displayed by the variables in Table 4? Justify your answer.
9. What kind of relationship is displayed by the variables in Table 5? Justify your answer.
10. Describe the conditions of the separation distance when the potential difference across the
capacitor becomes greater and that when it becomes lower.
11. What kind of relationship is displayed by the variable in Table 6? Justify your answer.
12. Describe 4 tangible ways on how to increase the capacitance of the capacitor based on this
investigation.

Conclusion