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Re: [Phys-L] charge distribution leading up to a capacitor



Correction:

What is the ratio on the wire leading up to that negative plate: *one*, less than r, equal to r, or greater than r?


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Robert A. Cohen, Department of Physics, East Stroudsburg University
East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
________________________________________
From: Phys-l [phys-l-bounces@www.phys-l.org] on behalf of Robert Cohen [Robert.Cohen@po-box.esu.edu]
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2016 11:09 AM
To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
Subject: [Phys-L] charge distribution leading up to a capacitor

Suppose we connect a battery to a capacitor, using wires made of the same material as the capacitor plates. One plate has a positive charge and the other plate has a negative charge.

Let r be the *ratio* of negative to positive particles on the negative plate. What is the ratio on the wire leading up to that negative plate: zero, less than r, equal to r, or greater than r?

As some background, I created a simulation of a discharging capacitor at http://www.glowscript.org/#/user/rcohenpa/folder/Public/program/capacitor in order to show why the charges on one plate don't stay attracted to the opposite plate (and instead take the "long" way to the other plate). I know that the simulation has some weaknesses, one of which being that the capacitor plates are as wide as the wires, but it got me thinking about how realistic my initial state really was.

[Note: the protons are given a huge mass in order to keep them relatively stationary; also, all particles are given some random initial momentum]

Robert Cohen Department of Physics East Stroudsburg University
570.422.3428 http://quantum.esu.edu/~bbq East Stroudsburg, PA 18301

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