Current In Coil Around A Capacitor

[darkchild]

1. Homework Statement

See attachment.

2. Haven't gotten there yet.



3.

The problem I'm having with this is seeing the connection between the capacitor (at least, that's what I assume that square thing is) and the loop. Frankly, I don't see why there would be or why there must be current in the loop at all. These are thought processes I've followed so far:

1. Energy stored in the capacitor implies there's a charge on the capacitor.

2. Charge on the capacitor implies that there is a voltage difference across the capacitor.

3. Voltage across capacitor causes a current in the loop...?

OR

1. Charged up capacitor means the current in the capacitor has stopped/is stopping.

2. Dwindling current implies a changing electric field.

3. Changing electric field induces a magnetic field in loop.

4. ? somehow that relates to current in the loop?

 

[Delphi51]

It will take a day for your attachment to be approved. It would be better to upload the diagram to a free photo site like photobucket.com, then post a link to it here. If you put IMG before the link and /IMG after (both in square brackets), the diagram will appear right in the post.

 

[kerimek]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your thought processes and concerns about the given problem. Let me try to address them and provide some insights as a scientist.

Firstly, you are correct in your understanding that the square object is a capacitor. A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in the form of an electric field. It consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material, known as the dielectric. When a voltage is applied to the capacitor, it charges up, meaning that one plate becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged.

Now, to answer your question about the current in the loop, let's break it down step by step.

1. Energy stored in the capacitor implies there's a charge on the capacitor.

This is correct. As mentioned earlier, when a voltage is applied to the capacitor, it charges up, meaning that one plate becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged. This charge is what stores the energy in the capacitor.

2. Charge on the capacitor implies that there is a voltage difference across the capacitor.

Again, this is correct. The charge on the capacitor creates a voltage difference between the two plates. This voltage difference is what causes the electric field in the capacitor.

3. Voltage across capacitor causes a current in the loop...?

This is where things get interesting. You are correct in thinking that a voltage difference causes a current to flow. However, in this case, the current is not flowing through the capacitor, but rather through the loop surrounding the capacitor. This is because the changing electric field in the capacitor induces a changing magnetic field in the loop, which in turn induces a current in the loop. This phenomenon is known as electromagnetic induction.

4. Charged up capacitor means the current in the capacitor has stopped/is stopping.

This is not entirely accurate. When a capacitor is fully charged, it does not mean that the current has stopped. It means that the current has reached a steady state, where the rate of charging is equal to the rate of discharging. This means that the current is still flowing in the circuit, but it is not changing.

5. Dwindling current implies a changing electric field.

This is correct. As the current in the capacitor decreases, the electric field also decreases. This changing electric field then induces a changing magnetic field in the loop, which, as mentioned earlier, induces a current in the loop.

I hope this helps to clarify the connection between the capacitor and the loop and how current