33 Electric Fields and Potential

33.6 Electrical Energy Storage

The energy stored in a capacitor comes from the

work done to charge it.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

CAPACITORS
Figure 2.18 shows two flat, metal plates
separated by a distance d and for simplicity the
region between the plates is a perfect vacuum.
This is called a parallel-plate capacitor. It can be
used to store electric charge and energy.
Electrical energy can be stored in a device called
a capacitor.
•Computer memories use very tiny
capacitors to store the 1’s and 0’s of the
binary code.
•Capacitors in photoflash units store larger
amounts of energy slowly and release it
rapidly during the flash.
•Enormous amounts of energy are stored in
banks of capacitors that power giant lasers
in national laboratories.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Electrical Energy Storage

The simplest capacitor is a pair of
conducting plates separated by a small
distance, but not touching each other.
• Charge is transferred from one plate
to the other.
• The capacitor plates then have
equal and opposite charges.
• The charging process is complete
when the potential difference
between the plates equals the
potential difference between the
battery terminals—the battery
voltage.
• The greater the battery voltage and
the larger and closer the plates, the
greater the charge that is stored.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Electrical Energy Storage

In practice, the plates may be thin metallic foils separated by a
thin sheet of paper.
This “paper sandwich” is then rolled up to save space and may
be inserted into a cylinder.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

This shows a cylindrical capacitor

consisting of two coaxial
conducting cylinders both of length
L, with the inner cylinder of radius
a, and the outer cylinder of radius b.
The cross section of the cylindrical
capacitor is shown in the figure (b).
Each cylinder contains a charge of
magnitude q. The capacitance of a
cylindrical capacitor is determined
by its dimensions. The formula is

A Cylindrical Capacitor
33 Electric Fields and Potential

This figure is a spherical capacitor

consisting of two concentric
conducting spherical shells. The
inner shell has a charge +Q and
outer radius a, and the outer shell
has charge –Q and inner radius b.
Like a cylindrical capacitor, the
capacitance of a spherical capacitor
is determined by its dimension. The
formula is

A Spherical Capacitor
33 Electric Fields and Potential

STORING ENERGY IN A CAPACITOR: When there is a

nonzero potential difference between the two plates of a
capacitor , energy is stored in the device. It is similar to the
potential energy present in a system of two point charges.
33 Electric Fields and Potential
33 Electric Fields and Potential

EXAMPLE 1:
Consider a parallel-plate
capacitor that is about the size of
your fingernail. The plates are
squares with edges of length
L=1.0cm, separated by
d=10µm(1x10-5m), which is
about the diameter of a human
hair.
a. Find the capacitance.
b. If the potential across the
capacitor is ∆V = 12v, what is
the energy stored?
33 Electric Fields and Potential

EXAMPLE 1:
a. Find the capacitance.
C = 8.9x10-11F
b. If the potential across the capacitor is ∆V
= 12v, what is the energy stored?
PE = 6.4x10-9J

What does it mean?

The value of C for this capacitor is
only 89 picofarads. Typical capacitors used
in electronic circuits are much less than 1F,
but the value of C for our fingernail size
capacitor is still small compared with most
capacitors. The energy stored in this
capacitor is also very small. As a
comparison with familiar mechanical
energies, PEcap is much less than the
change in gravitational potential energy
when a mosquito (m=10-6kg) falls about
1cm.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

EXAMPLE 2:

Modern computer memories use parallel-plate capacitors to

store information, and these capacitors are the basic elements
of a random access memory (RAM) chip. Assume one of
these capacitors has plates with area L x L, where
L=0.10µm(1.0x10-7m), and a plate separation d=10nm.
a. Find the capacitance of such capacitor
b. Calculate the amount of charge that must be placed
onto the plates to obtain a potential difference of 5.0V
across them.
c. How many electrons does this charge corresponded
to.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

EXAMPLE 2:

a. Find the capacitance of such capacitor

C = 8.9x10-18F

b. Calculate the amount of charge that must be

placed onto the plates to obtain a potential
difference of 5.0V across them.
Q = 4.5x10-17C

c. How many electrons does this charge

corresponded to.
N = 280electrons
33 Electric Fields and Potential

CAPACITORS IN SERIES
33 Electric Fields and Potential

CAPACITORS IN PARALLEL
33 Electric Fields and Potential

EXAMPLE 3:
Combining Capacitors

Four Capacitors are connected

as shown in the figure. If all
have the same capacitance
(C1 = C2 = C3 = C4 = C), what
is the equivalent capacitance
of this combination?
33 Electric Fields and Potential

EXAMPLE 3:
Combining Capacitors

Four Capacitors are connected

as shown in the figure. If all
have the same capacitance
(C1 = C2 = C3 = C4 = C), what
is the equivalent capacitance
of this combination?

Cequiv = C
33 Electric Fields and Potential

DIELECTRICS
A parallel plate capacitor consists of two metal
plates, one carrying charge +q and the other
carrying charge –q.

It is common to fill the region between the plates

with an electrically insulating substance called a
dielectric.

Dielectrics in capacitors serves three purposes;

1. To keep the conducting plates from coming in
contact, allowing for smaller separations and
therefore higher capacitances
2. To increase the effective capacitance by
reducing the electric field strength, which
means you get the same charge at lower
voltage
3. To reduce the possibility of shorting out by
sparking (more formally known as a dielectric
breakdown) during operation at high voltage
33 Electric Fields and Potential

DIELECTRICS
33 Electric Fields and Potential

DIELECTRICS
33 Electric Fields and Potential

THE CAPACITANCE OF A PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR

Eo = q ( o A)

V Eo
E= =
 d

  A 
q =  o V
 d 

 o A
Parallel plate capacitor
filled with a dielectric C=
d
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Example 1

The Effect of a Dielectric When a Capacitor Has a

Constant Charge

An empty capacitor is connected to a battery and

charged up. The capacitor is then disconnected from
the battery, and a slab of dielectric material is inserted
between the plates. Does the voltage across the plates
a. increase,
b. remain the same, or
c. decrease?
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Example 1

The Effect of a Dielectric When a Capacitor Has a Constant Charge

An empty capacitor is connected to a battery and charged up. The

capacitor is then disconnected from the battery, and a slab of
dielectric material is inserted between the plates. Does the voltage
across the plates a. increase,
b. remain the same, or
c. decrease?

Answer (c) is correct. Inserting the dielectric causes the

capacitance C to increase. Since q=CV and q is fixed, the potential
difference V across the plates must decrease in order for q to
remain unchanged. The amount by which the potential difference
decreases from the value initially established by the battery
depends on the dielectric constant of the slab.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Example 2 A Computer Keyboard

One common kind of computer keyboard is based

on the idea of capacitance. Each key is mounted
on one end of a plunger, the other end being
attached to a movable metal plate. The movable
plate and the fixed plate form a capacitor. When
the key is pressed, the capacitance increases.
The change in capacitance is detected, thereby
recognizing the key which has been pressed.

The separation between the plates is 5.00 mm, but

is reduced to 0.150 mm when a key is pressed.
The plate area is 9.50x10-5m2 and the capacitor is
filled with a material whose dielectric constant is
3.50.

Determine the change in capacitance detected by

the computer.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Example 2 A Computer Keyboard

One common kind of computer keyboard is based

on the idea of capacitance. Each key is mounted
on one end of a plunger, the other end being
attached to a movable metal plate. The movable
plate and the fixed plate form a capacitor. When
the key is pressed, the capacitance increases.
The change in capacitance is detected, thereby
recognizing the key which has been pressed.

The separation between the plates is 5.00 mm, but

is reduced to 0.150 mm when a key is pressed.
The plate area is 9.50x10-5m2 and the capacitor is
filled with a material whose dielectric constant is
3.50.

Determine the change in capacitance detected by

the computer.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Solutions:

 o A (3.50)(8.85 10−12 C2 (N  m ))(9.50 10

2 −5
m2 ) = 19.6 10
−12
C= = F
d 0.15010 m -3

 o A (3.50)(8.85 10−12 C2 (N  m ))(9.50 10

2 −5
m2 ) = 0.58910 −12
C= = F
d 5.0010 m -3

C = 19.0 10 −12 F The change in the capacitance is

greater with the dielectric present,
which makes it easier for the
circuitry within the computer to
detect it.
33 Electric Fields and Potential
33 Electric Fields and Potential

The physics of an electronic flash

attachment for a camera. The energy-
storing capability of a capacitor is often put
to good use in electronic circuits. For
example, in an electronic flash attachment
for a camera, energy from the battery pack is
stored in a capacitor. The capacitor is then
discharged between the electrodes of the
flash tube, which converts the energy into
light. Flash duration times range from 1/200
to 1/1 000 000 second or less, with the
shortest flashes being used in high-speed
photography (see Figure 19.21).

Some flash attachments automatically

control the flash duration by monitoring the
light reflected from the photographic subject
and quickly stopping or quenching the
capacitor discharge when the reflected light
reaches a predetermined level.
33 Electric Fields and Potential
33 Electric Fields and Potential

The physics of a defibrillator. During a heart

attack, the heart produces a rapid, unregulated
pattern of beats, a condition known as cardiac
fibrillation. Cardiac fibrillation can often be
stopped by sending a very fast discharge of
electrical energy through the heart. For this
purpose, emergency medical personnel use
defibrillators, such as the one shown in Figure
19.22. A paddle is connected to each plate of a
large capacitor, and the paddles are placed on the
chest near the heart. The capacitor is charged to a
potential difference of about a thousand volts. The
capacitor is then discharged in a few thousandths
of a second; the discharge current passes through a
paddle, the heart, and the other paddle. Within a
few seconds, the heart often returns to its normal
beating pattern.
33 Electric Fields and Potential

Biomedical Applications of Electrical Potential Differences

33 Electric Fields and Potential
33 Electric Fields and Potential
33 Electric Fields and Potential
33 Electric Fields and Potential