Electric filed of each plate of capacitor

In summary, the conversation discusses the equation for the electric field between the plates of a capacitor and the use of superposition to calculate the field between two conductor surfaces. The use of Gauss' Law is also mentioned as a way to obtain the "between-the-plates" formula.
  • #1
baby_1
159
15
hello
here in this problem as you see we want to obtain the pressure between thew plate of capacitor
8697184500_1396513597.jpg

my question is about the capacitor each plate electric filed equation.
as we know the electric filed of an infinite plate is
gif.latex?E%3D%5Cfrac%7B%5Csigma%20%7D%7B2%5Cvarepsilon%20%7D.gif

but the equation of an conductor plate is
http://www.sciweavers.org/upload/Tex2Img_1396514351/render.png

as we know the each plate of capacitor is conductor.why in above problem the write use the infinite plate equation instead of conductor plate equation?

Thanks
 
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  • #2
The magnitude of the electric field between the capacitor plates is E=ρs/ε. You can follow an other approach, based on potential energy.

Assume that the capacitor plates are at distance x from each other and the area of the plates is S. One plate is earthed, and you move charges from the grounded plate to the other one. Initially no charge is on the other plate, you do not need any work. I there is q charge on the plate, the electric field is q/(Sε) and you do dW=Exdq work to transfer dq charge. So the net work when the capacitor is charged to Q is
[tex]W=\int_0^Q{\frac{x}{Sε}qdq}=\frac{x}{2Sε}Q^2[/tex] That work is the potential energy of the capacitor. Its negative gradient is the force between the capacitor plates. [tex]F=-\frac{Q^2}{2Sε}[/tex]. The negative sign means that the force opposes the motion of the capacitor plate.

ehild
 
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  • #3
Thanks ehild
but my question is something else.
yes, if we take the sum of two electric filed with surface electric filed equation
%7D%7B2%5Cvarepsilon%20%7D%28%5Cvec%7B-ax%7D%29%3D%5Cfrac%7B%5Csigma%20%7D%7B%5Cvarepsilon%20%7D.gif

but my question is why the writer use surface electric filed equation instead of conductor electric filed for each plate?
http://www.sciweavers.org/upload/Tex2Img_1396514351/render.png instead of
gif.gif


because as we know and prove the electric filed of conductor is
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/gausur.html
 
  • #4
The electric field inside the capacitor is Q/(εS). The surface charge density is Q/S on one plate and -Q/S on the other plate. But that electric field has been created by the charges on both plates, and the charges do not act on themselves. So you need to take the field of one plate and the force of that field on the charge of the other plate. I prefer the derivation with the energy.

ehild
 
  • #5
Thanks ehlid
your explanation completely right.
now i change and say better my new question: the electric filed of capacitor and not force between two plate.
as i know we can use superposition to maintain the electric filed of between two conductor of capacitor.
so the electric filed of each conductor surface is
http://www.sciweavers.org/upload/Tex2Img_1396545115/render.png
that an is perpendicular unit vector .so we assume that positive charge on the top surface and negative charge on the bottom surface.
so we want to obtain the electric filed between two surface.
top surface:
http://www.sciweavers.org/upload/Tex2Img_1396545444/render.png
bottom surface:
http://www.sciweavers.org/upload/Tex2Img_1396545474/render.png

and superposition:
Et=E1+E2
http://www.sciweavers.org/upload/Tex2Img_1396545581/render.png
 
  • #6
You saw the downward E , below the (+) top plate,
add to the downward E , above the (-) top plate.
They only add to each other in between the plates
... they cancel above the top plate and below the bottom plate.
That is one way to obtain this "between-the-plates" formula;
use Gauss' Law with clever geometric symmetry, not nasty integrations.
 
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FAQ: Electric filed of each plate of capacitor

1) What is an electric field?

An electric field is a region of space where electrically charged particles experience a force. It is created by the presence of electric charges and is represented by electric field lines.

2) How does a capacitor produce an electric field?

A capacitor is made up of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric. When a voltage is applied to the capacitor, one plate becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged, creating an electric field between the plates.

3) How is the strength of the electric field between the plates of a capacitor determined?

The strength of the electric field between the plates of a capacitor is determined by the voltage applied to the capacitor and the distance between the plates. The stronger the voltage and the closer the plates are, the stronger the electric field will be.

4) What is the direction of the electric field between the plates of a capacitor?

The direction of the electric field between the plates of a capacitor is from the positively charged plate to the negatively charged plate. This is because electric field lines always point in the direction of the force that a positive charge would experience if placed in the field.

5) How does the electric field change when the distance between the plates of a capacitor is increased?

When the distance between the plates of a capacitor is increased, the electric field between the plates decreases. This is because the electric field lines spread out over a larger area, reducing the strength of the field. The same amount of charge is now spread out over a larger area, resulting in a weaker electric field.

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