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E & M UNIT 04 - Electrostatics with Conductors |
CAPACITORS |
(A) Students should understand the definition and function of capacitance, so they can: |
(1) Relate stored charge and voltage for a capacitor |
(2) Relate voltage, charge, and stored energy for a capacitor. |
(3) Recognize situations in which energy stored in a capacitor is converted to other forms. |
(B) Students should understand the physics of the parallel-plate capacitor, so they can: |
(1) Describe the electric field inside the capacitor, and relate the strength of this field to the potential difference between the plates and the plate separation. |
(2) Relate the electric field to the density of the charge on the plates. |
(3) Derive an expression for the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor. |
(4) Determine how changes in dimension will affect the value of the capacitance. |
(5) Derive and apply expressions for the energy stored in a parallel-plate capacitor |
(6) Analyze situations in which capacitor plates are moved apart or moved closer together, or in which a conducting slab is inserted between capacitor plates, either with a battery connected between the plates or with the charge on the plates held fixed. |
(C) Students should understand cylindrical and spherical capacitors, so they can: |
(1) Describe the electric field inside each. |
(2) Derive an expression for the capacitance of each. |
DIELECTRICS |
(A) Students should understand the behavior of dielectrics, so they can: |
(1) Describe how the insertion of a dielectric between the plates of a charged parallel-plate capacitor affects its capacitance and the field strength and voltage between the plates. |
(2) Analyze situations in which a dielectric slab is inserted between the plates of a capacitor. |