An adjustable parallel-plate capacitor instrument--Test of the theoretical capacitance formula.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Wells, Beau; Baker, Emily; Farwell, Austin; Foster, Harrison; Xiaohan Gao; Gruber, Benjamin; Jones, Erica; Vu, Dennis; Xu, Sonya; Jingbo Ye
- Source
- American Journal of Physics. Sep2016, Vol. 84 Issue 9, p723-726. 4p.
- Subject
- *STRUCTURAL plates
*CAPACITANCE meters
*GAUSS'S law (Gravitation)
*YIELD strength (Engineering)
*ELECTRIC capacity
- Language
- ISSN
- 0002-9505
We describe an adjustable parallel-plate capacitor apparatus designed for use in an undergraduate laboratory that permits precise variation of plate separation distances and overlap area. Two experiments are performed with the device to test the ideal capacitor formula derived from Gauss's Law. After correcting for edge effects and minor plate tilt, the device yields capacitance values within 3% of theoretical values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]