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Dear PhysLers: I have a question about the usual formula for capacitors in
series...
Suppose I connect two capacitors in series across a battery. Label the four
capacitor plates from left to right as A, B, C, and D. Okay, suppose A is
connected to the positive terminal of the battery, so out goes charge +Q to
it, and compensating charge off D, leaving -Q on it. My question is: why
does the charge on B and C have to be -Q and +Q, respectively?
If the isolated circuit consisting of plates B and C and the wire between
them is initially uncharged, then the sum of the charges presumably has to
remain zero. But why couldn't I get -1.1Q and +1.1Q on these two plates,
say? Why *exactly* -/+Q? Is it always exact: what if plates A and B have
different shapes?....
Dr. Carl Mungan