- #1
Titan97
Gold Member
- 450
- 18
Homework Statement
A parallel plate capacitor was lowered into water in a horizontal position, with water filling up the gap between the plates (gap d=1.0mm). Then, a constant voltage V=200volt is applied to the capacitor. Find the increment of pressure in the water between the gap.
Homework Equations
F=qE
The Attempt at a Solution
Let the slab represent water between the capacitor plates. On the left surface, the field due to the left plate is ##\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0}## along negative x-axis and that due to the right plate is also ##\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0}## along the same direction. Total field on one surface is ##\frac{\sigma}{\epsilon_0}##.
Same force acts in opposite direction on the surface on the right.
This tends to expand the dielectric.
Let induced charge density on water be ##\sigma'##
Therefore, $$F=qE=\sigma'A\frac{\sigma}{\epsilon_0}$$
And $$P=\sigma'\frac{\sigma}{\epsilon_0}$$
But answer given is $$P=\frac{1}{2}\sigma'\frac{\sigma}{\epsilon_0}$$
Where does the 1/2 come from?