Two fully charged capacitors (C1 = 2.00uF, q1=6.00uC,C2=8.00uF, q2 = 12.0 uC). The switch is closed, and the charge flowed until equilibrium is re-established, which occurs when both capacitors have the same voltage across their plates. Find the resulting voltage across either capacitor.
Diagram which I cant scan in.
______Switch_____
| |
C2 C1
|_________________|
Hopefully somebody can help me. Thanks
Well the resultant stored charege is 18 or 6 microcoulombs, depending on polarity. So I will assume they are not reversed, so a total charge of 18 is stored, each has the same charge of 9.0E-6C
V=qC on each capacitor.
To find the resulting voltage across either capacitor, we can use the principle of charge conservation in a parallel plate capacitor.
First, let's determine the equivalent capacitance (Ceq) of the two capacitors in parallel. The formula for the equivalent capacitance of capacitors in parallel is:
Ceq = C1 + C2
Plugging in the given values:
Ceq = 2.00μF + 8.00μF
Ceq = 10.00μF
Now, let's find the total charge (qt) that flows to establish equilibrium. Since the total charge is conserved, we can find it by summing the initial charges of the two capacitors:
qt = q1 + q2
qt = 6.00μC + 12.0μC
qt = 18.0μC
Next, we can calculate the voltage (Veq) across the equivalent capacitance using the formula:
Veq = qt / Ceq
Plugging in the values:
Veq = 18.0μC / 10.00μF
Veq = 1.80V
Therefore, the resulting voltage across either capacitor is 1.80V.