A parallel-plate capacitor is connected to a battery. What happens to the stored energy if the plate separation is doubled while the capacitor remains connected to the battery?(a) It remains the same(b) It is doubles(c) It decreases by a factor of 2(d) It decreases by a factor of 4(e) It increases by a factor of 4

Respuesta :

Answer:

option (b)

Explanation:

The capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is given by

[tex]C=\frac{\varepsilon _{0}A}{d}[/tex]

Where, A be the area of plates, d be the distance between the plates

Let the potential difference of the battery is V.

the energy stored in the capacitor is given by

[tex]U = \frac{1}{2}CV^{2}[/tex]

Substitute the value of C, we get

[tex]U = \frac{1}{2}\frac{\varepsilon _{0}A}{d}V^{2}[/tex]   .... (1)

Now the distance between the plates is doubled, so the new capacitance

[tex]C'=\frac{\varepsilon _{0}A}{\frac{d}{2}}=2C[/tex]

the new energy stored in the capacitor is given by

[tex]U' = \frac{1}{2}C'V^{2}[/tex]

(As battery remains connected so the potential difference remains constant)

[tex]U = \frac{1}{2}C'V^{2}=\frac{1}{2}\times2CV^{2}=2U[/tex]

So, the energy is doubled.