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Video Clips

RealVideo®
8:18 minutes (10:07 - 18:25)
Definition, with examples of capacitance for spheres and for parallel plate capacitors.
None
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RealVideo®
5:34 minutes (18:25 - 23:59)
How to make a small parallel plate capacitor with a large capacitance. Finding the amount of energy stored in a parallel plate capacitor.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
2:52 minutes (30:20 - 33:12)
Starting to charge a large capacitor to a potential difference of 3000 V.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
4:48 minutes (33:12 - 38:00)
Explanation of the concepts behind a camera flash, with a demonstration using several capacitors and a light bulb.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
3:19 minutes (42:08 - 45:27)
Examples of Professor Edgerton's high speed photography, including images of a bullet fired through a light bulb and a balloon being popped. Brief discussion of strobe lights and their uses.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7) and How Photo Flash Works (33:12 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
3:59 minutes (45:27 - 49:26)
After 15 minutes of charging, the capacitor is quickly discharged over a fuse with impressive results.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7) and Charging a Large Capacitor (30:20 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
10:07 minutes (0:00 - 10:07)
Exploring work required to separate two oppositely charged parallel plates, with definition of field energy density and potential energy stored in an electric field.
Electric Field (beginning of video lecture 2) and Electric Potential (7:14 of video lecture 4)
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RealVideo®
6:21 minutes (23:59 - 30:20)
Using an actual parallel plate capacitor to show that positive work must be done to increase the distance between the two plates.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
5:37 minutes (11:03 - 16:40)
The effects of increasing the separation between the plates of a capacitor.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
7:48 minutes (18:53 - 26:41)
The effects of increasing the separation between the plates of a capacitor that is still connected to a power supply.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
5:03 minutes (31:05 - 36:08)
Effects of area, separation distance, and dielectric constant on the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7) and Dielectrics (beginning of video lecture 8)
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RealVideo®
5:33 minutes (36:08 - 41:41)
Definition and demonstration of a Leyden Jar.
Capacitance (10:07 of video lecture 7) and Dielectrics (beginning of video lecture 8)
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RealVideo®
8:44 minutes (12:37 - 21:21)
Finding the electric field, potential difference, capacitance, and electrostatic potential energy of a parallel plate capacitor.
Capacitors (beginning of video lecture 7)
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RealVideo®
17:26 minutes (32:58 - 50:24)
Demonstration of the Leyden Jar, with explanation of the physics behind the unexpected result.
Leyden Jar (36:08 of Video Lecture 8)
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Lecture Notes

PDF - 1 MB
Page 18 to page 31
Definition, with example of parallel-plate capacitor. Link to visualization; calculation of E, delta V, and C for parallel-plate capacitor and for spherical capacitor. Capacitance of Earth; 1 Farad is very large.
Electric Potential (pages 17-28 of presentation 4) and Electric Field (pages 45-54 of presentation 1)
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PDF - 1 MB
Page 32 to page 40
Step-by-step calculation of work done to charge a parallel-plate capacitor. Energy in a capacitor is stored in the electric field. Example of energy in a 1 Farad capacitor.
Capacitors and Capacitance (pages 18-31 of presentation 7)
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PDF
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Page 22 to page 23
Energy stored in electric and magnetic fields, as well as in capacitors and inductors. The Poynting vector and intensity of electromagnetic radiation.
None
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PDF
Page 1 to page 2
Definitions, with diagrams and equations. Equations for energy stored in a capacitor.
None
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PDF
Page 1 to page 2
Finding the equivalent capacitance of capacitors in series and in parallel, with equations and diagrams.
Capacitors (R7)
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PDF
#
Page 4 to page 8
Capacitance and units; definition of capacitor; capacitance of sphere, parallel-plate, spherical, cylindrical capacitors.
Charge distribution
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PDF
#
Page 2 to page 3
Leyden jars and Wimshurst machine; dielectrics; energy stored by E-field in capacitor.
Capacitors
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PDF
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Page 4 to page 5
Capacitance in series and in parallel; applications and problems.
Capacitors
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Online Textbook Chapters

PDF - 1.3 MB
Page 2 to page 9
Definition and uses; calculation for parallel-plate, spherical, and cylindrical capacitors.
Gauss's Law
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PDF - 1.3 MB
Page 13 to page 16
Calculation of stored energy; energy density of electric field with examples.
Capacitors in circuits
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PDF - 1.3 MB
Page 37 to page 42
Strategy for capacitance calculation; equivalent capacitance, capacitor with two dielectrics, capacitor on a spring.
Capacitors in circuits; dielectrics
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Practice Problems

PDF
Problem 3 to problem 8
Three questions about changing the dimensions of a parallel plate capacitor, with answers and explanations.
None
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PDF
Problem 2
4-part capacitor problem; finding voltages across capacitors for different switch configurations.
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PDF
Problem 5
Calculating current, charge, capacitance delivered to Van de Graaff generator.
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PDF
Problem 1
5-part problem; finding V, stored energy, work to move plates; inserting dielectric.
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PDF
Problem 4
Comparison of capacitors; showing that with narrow gaps, these capacitors can be approximated as parallel-plate capacitors.
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Exam Questions

PDF
Problem 1
4-part problem; finding voltage, stored energy; explaining conservation of energy in different cases.
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PDF
Problem 9
Force on electron; balancing electric and magnetic forces.
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PDF
Problem 4
Showing that an electric field does not abruptly drop to 0 at capacitor edge.
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PDF
Problem 4
5-part problem; finding charge, potential energy, and electric potential.
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PDF
Problem 2
4-part problem; finding E-field, trajectories for particle; computing kinetic energy.
None
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PDF
Problem 2
Determining energy stored in parallel-plate capacitor with and without dielectric.
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Java Applets

Java Applet
Requires Java Virtual Machine
Applet simulating the behavior of the charges inside the plates of a parallel plate capacitor.
None
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Java Applet
Requires Java Virtual Machine
Applet simulating the behavior of a conducting sphere placed between the plates of a parallel plate capacitor as it is being charged.
None
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