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Which of the following statements about the discharging of a capacitor through a lightbulb are correct?

a) Electrons in the wires flow away from the negative plate, toward the positive plate, reducing the charge on the plates.
b) The electric field at a location inside the wire is due to charge on the surface of the wires and charge on the plates of the capacitor.
c) Electrons flow across the gap between the plates of the capacitor, thus reducing the charge on the capacitor.
d) The fringe field of the capacitor decreases as the charge on the capacitor plates decreases.

User PhamMinh
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

During the discharging of a capacitor through a lightbulb, the electrons flow from the negative plate to the positive plate, reducing the charge on the plates. The electric field at a location inside the wire is influenced by the charge on the wires and the plates of the capacitor. Additionally, the fringe field of the capacitor decreases as the charge on the plates decreases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statements about the discharging of a capacitor through a lightbulb are:

  1. Electrons flow away from the negative plate, toward the positive plate, reducing the charge on the plates. When the capacitor is discharged, the negatively charged electrons from the negative plate move towards the positively charged positive plate, neutralizing the charge.
  2. The electric field at a location inside the wire is due to charge on the surface of the wires and charge on the plates of the capacitor. The electric field inside the wire is influenced by the charges on the capacitor plates and the surface charges on the wires.
  3. Electrons do not flow across the gap between the plates of the capacitor during discharging. Instead, they flow through the wire and the lightbulb, completing the circuit and reducing the charge on the capacitor.
  4. The fringe field of the capacitor decreases as the charge on the capacitor plates decreases. The electric field between the plates decreases as the capacitor discharges, which also decreases the fringe field.

User Reimond Hill
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