Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Figure shows a capacitor made of two circular plates each of radius 12 cm, and separated by 5.0 cm. The capacitor is being charged by an external source (not shown in the figure). The charging current is constant and equal to 0.15 A.
- Calculate the capacitance and the rate of charge of the potential difference between the plates.
- Obtain the displacement current across the plates.
- Is Kirchhoff’s first rule (junction rule) valid at each plate of the capacitor? Explain.

Advertisements
Solution
Radius of each circular plate, r = 12 cm = 0.12 m
Distance between the plates, d = 5 cm = 0.05 m
Charging current, I = 0.15 A
Permittivity of free space, ε0 = 8.854 × 10−12 C2 N−1 m−2
(a) Capacitance between the two plates is given by the relation,
C = `(ε_0"A")/"d"` .....[∵ A = πr2 = 3.14 × (0.12)2]
= `(8.854 xx 10^-12 xx 3.14 xx (0.12)^2)/0.05`
= 8.01 × 10−12 F
= 8.01 pF
Charge on each plate, q = CV ⇒ V = `"q"/"C"`
`therefore "dV"/"dt" = 1/"C" "dq"/"dt" = 1/"C" "I" ...(because "dq"/"dt" = "I")`
Rate of charge of the potential difference `"dV"/"dt"` = `0.15/(8.01 xx 10^-12)`
= 1.875 × 109 V s−1
(b) Displacement current across the plates,
`"I"_"d" = epsilon_0 ("d"phi_"E")/"dt"`
Where `phi_"E"` is the electric flux passing through a closed loop between the plates.
∵ The electric field E between the plates = `"q"/(epsilon_0 "A")`
∴ If the area of the loop is A then,
`phi_"E" = oint vec("E") * "d" vec("A") = oint "E dA" ....[because vec("E") ⊥ "d" vec("A")]`
`=> phi_"E" = "EA" = "q"/epsilon_0 => ("d"phi_"E")/"dt" = 1/epsilon_0 * "dq"/"dt"`
∴ `"I"_"d" = epsilon_0 1/epsilon_0 "dq"/"dt" = "I"`
⇒ Displacement current, `"I"_"d"` = 0.15 A
(c) Yes, Kirchhoff's first law is very much applicable to each plate of capacitor as Id = I.
So current is continuous and constant across each plate.

RELATED QUESTIONS
A parallel plate capacitor (Figure) made of circular plates each of radius R = 6.0 cm has a capacitance C = 100 pF. The capacitor is connected to a 230 V ac supply with a (angular) frequency of 300 rad s−1.
- What is the rms value of the conduction current?
- Is the conduction current equal to the displacement current?
- Determine the amplitude of B at a point 3.0 cm from the axis between the plates.

A capacitor has been charged by a dc source. What are the magnitude of conduction and displacement current, when it is fully charged?
When an ideal capacitor is charged by a dc battery, no current flows. However, when an ac source is used, the current flows continuously. How does one explain this, based on the concept of displacement current?
A cylinder of radius R, length Land density p floats upright in a fluid of density p0. The cylinder is given a gentle downward push as a result of which there is a vertical displacement of size x; it is then released; the time period of resulting (undampe (D) oscillations is ______.
Displacement current goes through the gap between the plantes of a capacitors. When the charge of the capacitor:-
Which of the following is the unit of displacement current?
A parallel plate capacitor of plate separation 2 mm is connected in an electric circuit having source voltage 400 V. What is the value of the displacement current for 10-6 second if the plate area is 60 cm2?
According to Maxwell's hypothesis, a changing electric field gives rise to ______.
A capacitor of capacitance ‘C’, is connected across an ac source of voltage V, given by V = V0 sinωt The displacement current between the plates of the capacitor would then be given by ______
A capacitor of capacitance ‘C’, is connected across an ac source of voltage V, given by
V = V0sinωt
The displacement current between the plates of the capacitor would then be given by:
An electromagnetic wave travelling along z-axis is given as: E = E0 cos (kz – ωt.). Choose the correct options from the following;
- The associated magnetic field is given as `B = 1/c hatk xx E = 1/ω (hatk xx E)`.
- The electromagnetic field can be written in terms of the associated magnetic field as `E = c(B xx hatk)`.
- `hatk.E = 0, hatk.B` = 0.
- `hatk xx E = 0, hatk xx B` = 0.
The charge on a parallel plate capacitor varies as q = q0 cos 2πνt. The plates are very large and close together (area = A, separation = d). Neglecting the edge effects, find the displacement current through the capacitor?
You are given a 2 µF parallel plate capacitor. How would you establish an instantaneous displacement current of 1 mA in the space between its plates?
A particle is moving with speed v = b`sqrtx` along positive x-axis. Calculate the speed of the particle at time t = τ (assume that the particle is at origin at t = 0).
A parallel plate capacitor made of circular plates is being charged such that the surface charge density on its palates is increasing at a constant rate with time. The magnetic field arising due to displacement current is ______.
A parallel plate capacitor is charged by connecting it to a battery through a resistor. If I is the current in the circuit, then in the gap between the plates, there is no conduction current:
