Capacitance and Dielectrics schools电容和电介质学校.birdvilleschools.net.ppt

Capacitance and Dielectrics AP Physics C Applications of Electric Potential Is there any way we can use a set of plates with an electric field? YES! We can make what is called a Parallel Plate Capacitor and Store Charges between the plates! Storing Charges- Capacitors A capacitor consists of 2 conductors of any shape placed near one another without touching. It is common; to fill up the region between these 2 conductors with an insulating material called a dielectric. We charge these plates with opposing charges to set up an electric field. Capacitors in Kodak Cameras Capacitors can be easily purchased at a local Radio Shack and are commonly found in disposable Kodak Cameras. When a voltage is applied to an empty capacitor, current flows through the capacitor and each side of the capacitor becomes charged. The two sides have equal and opposite charges. When the capacitor is fully charged, the current stops flowing. The collected charge is then ready to be discharged and when you press the flash it discharges very quickly released it in the form of light. Cylindrical Capacitor Capacitance In the picture below, the capacitor is symbolized by a set of parallel lines. Once its charged, the capacitor has the same voltage as the battery (1.5 volts on the battery means 1.5 volts on the capacitor) The difference between a capacitor and a battery is that a capacitor can dump its entire charge in a tiny fraction of a second, where a battery would take minutes to completely discharge itself. Thats why the electronic flash on a camera uses a capacitor -- the battery charges up the flashs capacitor over several seconds, and then the capacitor dumps the full charge into the flash tube almost instantly Electric Potential for Conducting Sheets + + + + + + + E =0 Using Gauss’ Law we derived and equation to define the electric field as we move radially away from the charged sheet or plate. Electric Potential? This expression will be particularly useful later Measuring Capacitance Let