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A 10.0µF parallel-plate capacitor with circular plates is connected to a 12.0V battery. How much charge (in µC) would be on the plates if the capacitor were connected to the 12.0V battery after the radius of each plate was doubled without changing their separation?

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Final answer:

When a 10.0µF capacitor’s plate radius is doubled and connected to a 12.0V battery, the charge on the plates remains 120µC, as capacitance and voltage are unchanged.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks how much charge will be on the plates of a 10.0µF parallel-plate capacitor connected to a 12.0V battery, after the radius of each plate is doubled. The capacitance of the capacitor is given as 10.0µF, and the voltage from the battery is 12.0V.

The charge on a capacitor is calculated using the formula Q = CV, where Q is the charge, C is the capacitance, and V is the voltage. Since the radius of each plate is doubled and the separation between them is unchanged, the area of the plates increases by a factor of four (because area is proportional to the square of the radius).

However, in this case, since the capacitor is connected to a constant voltage source (the battery), the capacitance remains unchanged at 10.0µF. Thus, the charge stored on the capacitor is calculated as:

Q = CV
= 10.0µF × 12.0V
= 120µC

The amount of charge on the plates remains 120 microcoulombs (µC) because the capacitance and voltage are constant.

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