1. Go to… 1. Go to https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/capacitor-lab-basics . Choose

1. Go to… 1. Go to https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/capacitor-lab-basics . Choose the ‘Capacitance’ simulation. You can adjust the capacitor plate area and plate separation by dragging the corresponding arrows back and forth. Make the adjustments that result in the maximum possible capacitance. Use these values in the equation for calculating capacitance. Don’t forget to convert everything to SI units! Since there is no dielectric, set the dielectric constant equal to 1. What do you get for a calculated capacitance value? Does it match the value shown in the simulation?2. Move the battery slider up to 1.5 V. Calculate the charge of the capacitor using this voltage and the capacitance you calculated in the previous step. Now check the box labeled ‘Top Plate Charge’. Does this value match your calculation?3. Find the appropriate equation in your notes, and use it to calculate the amount of energy stored by this capacitor. Now check the box labeled ‘Stored Energy’. Does this value match your calculation?4. Use the area and plate separation values again, this time to calculate the volume of the capacitor.5. Now, recall the units for electric field, and use the voltage and plate separation distance to calculate the strength of the electric field, E, in the capacitor.6. Find the section in your notes on energy density in a capacitor. Notice that there are two different ways that this can be calculated. Calculate the energy density in the capacitor both ways, and verify that your answers match. (The previous two steps contain helpful information.)7. Disconnect the capacitor by clicking on the empty circle directly above or below it. Does the capacitor lose its charge when you disconnect it? Why or why not?8. Now choose the ‘Light Bulb’ simulation at the bottom of the screen. Again, adjust the capacitor plate area and plate separation so that your capacitance value returns to its previous (the maximum) value. Move the battery slider up to 1.5 V. The capacitor is now fully charged. Uncheck ‘Current Direction’. Click on the empty circle at either end of the lightbulb wires. What happens to the lightbulb?9. While the brightness of the lightbulb is changing, what is happening to the amount of charge on the capacitor? Explain the relationship between the charge on the capacitor and the brightness of the bulb.10. Charge the capacitor by connecting it to the battery again. Use the voltmeter to measure the voltage across the lightbulb. (At this point it should read 0 Volts.) While the voltmeter is still connected, discharge the capacitor by connecting it to the lightbulb again, and watch the voltage reading. What happens to the voltage? 11. You will now be making a graph of voltage vs. time for this scenario. Use your phone or any other device that measures in seconds for the timing. Take voltage measurements at each of the following times: 5 s, 10 s, 15 s, 20 s, 25 s, 30 s, 35 s, 40 s. To obtain each data point, use the following procedure:Charge the capacitor. Then discharge it by connecting it to the lightbulb at the exact moment you start the stopwatch. Carefully watch the time, and at the instant you want a voltage reading, glance at the voltmeter and note its value. Repeat this process for the same time, until you are certain that your measurements for that time are consistent. Then follow this procedure for the next time on the list.Once you have a complete set of data points, carefully make a graph of Voltage vs. Time for Discharging a Capacitor.12. Does your graph show a linear relationship between voltage and time? Did you expect it to?13. Now go to https://ophysics.com/em5.html. In this circuit, we will be measuring voltage as the capacitor is charging. We want the charging process to take as long as possible since that makes it easier to measure how voltage varies with time. If we want the time constant (?) to be as large as possible, what should be done with the values of: Resistance? Plate area? Distance between the plates? Make all these changes, and increase the voltage to its maximum value. Now click the ‘close switch’ box and watch the capacitor charge. While it is charging, what happens to the voltage? What happens to the current? Is this what you expected to happen?14. Following the same procedure as step 11, use this simulation to make a graph of Voltage vs. Time for Charging a Capacitor.15. Remember that we determined in lecture that at a time of t = ? (the time constant), the charge on the capacitor should be 63.2% of its final value. This means that at t = ?, the voltage of the capacitor should also be at 63.2% of its final value. Calculate that voltage for this circuit.16. Carefully measure the time it takes for the charging capacitor to reach this voltage. We want to be exact here, so take 5 time measurements and average them.17. Now calculate the time constant (? = RC) for this circuit.18. Consider the times you reported for steps 16 and 17. Use these times to answer the following question: Is the animation of this circuit shown in slow motion, fast motion, or real time? Math ECE MISC Share QuestionEmailCopy link