Question

What is the total amount of charge and energy, respectively, that a capacitor will store if it is connected to the battery on the railcar? What equation do you use?

a. Q = CV; W = QV
b. Q = V/C; W = Q²/2C
c. Q = CV; W = Q²/2C
d. Q = V/C; W = QV

Answer 1

The total charge stored in a capacitor is given by Q = CV, and the total energy by W = Q²/(2C), where Q is the charge, C is the capacitance, and V is the voltage.

Step-by-step explanation:

The total amount of charge a capacitor can store is given by the equation Q = CV, where Q is the charge in coulombs, C is the capacitance in farads, and V is the voltage in volts. Once you have calculated the charge, you can determine the total energy stored in the capacitor using the formula W = Q²/(2C), which expresses the energy in joules. Note that it's incorrect to use QV for the energy stored; the correct formula accounts for the energy contributed by each incremental charge as the capacitor is charged.