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when a potential difference of 150 v is applied to the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor, the plates carry a surface charge density of 30.0 nc/cm2. what is the spacing between the plates?

User Lovely
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1 Answer

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Final Answer:

The spacing between the plates is 1.00 x 10^-4 m.

Step-by-step explanation:

The surface charge density on a parallel-plate capacitor is given by the following equation:

σ = Q / A

where:

σ is the surface charge density

Q is the charge on the capacitor plates

A is the area of each capacitor plate

The charge on the capacitor plates can be calculated using the following equation:

Q = CV

where:

Q is the charge on the capacitor plates

C is the capacitance of the capacitor

V is the potential difference between the capacitor plates

The capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor is given by the following equation:

C = ε₀A / d

where:

C is the capacitance of the capacitor

ε₀ is the permittivity of free space

A is the area of each capacitor plate

d is the spacing between the capacitor plates

Plugging in the values we know, we can get the following equation:

σ = (ε₀AV) / (d²)

Solving for d, we get:

d = √(ε₀AV / σ)

Plugging in the values we know, we get:

d = √((8.854 x 10^-12 F/m)(0.025 m²)(150 V)) / (30 x 10^-9 C/m²)) = 1.00 x 10^-4 m

Therefore, the spacing between the plates is 1.00 x 10^-4 m.

User Jason Berryman
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