Capacitor Simulation Lab - EET 1084 Name Click or tap here to enter text.

After completing this lab the student will be able to:

 Design a capacitor
 Outline the characteristics of a capacitor
 Build and test a capacitor charging circuit
In this lab activity, you will build and test a virtual capacitor and capacitor circuit.
Procedure
1. Go to https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/capacitor-lab-basics and open up the Capacitor Lab.
2. Start on the Capacitance tab. Click the Stored Energy, Top Plate
Charge and Capacitance boxes as shown.
3. Remember, 1 picofarad = 10 – 12 FARADS, pJ = pico-Joules and
pC = pico-Columbs
4. What is serving as the dielectric in this example?
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5. Increase the applied voltage by sliding the TAB on the battery up
or down
6. Describe what happens to the Top Plate Charge
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7. Describe what happens to the Stored Energy
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8. Increase the voltage until the stored energy = about .20pJ
9. What is the Top Plate Charge? Click or tap here to enter text.
10. Open the Voltmeter. What is the voltage difference between the plates at about .20 p J of stored energy?
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11. Adjust the applied voltage to about .25 Volts
12. Click on the GREEN Plate Area arrow to change the dielectric
plate area to about 100 mm.
13. What happens to the capacitance?
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14. What happens to the plate charge and stored energy when the
plate sized is decreased? Click or tap here to enter text.
15. Now use the SEPERATION arrow to change the dielectric distance from 6 to 3 mm.
16. What happens to the capacitance when the SEPERATION is decreased? Click or tap here to enter text.
17. What happens to the plate charge and stored energy? Click or tap here to enter text.

18. If you could change the dielectric to WAX PAPER, what would happen to the capacitance?
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19. Manipulate the plate size and separation and fill in Table 1 below:
USE 1 VOLT for each test
PLATE DIELECTRIC CAPACITANCE PLATE STORED VOLTAGE
AREA SEPARATION pF CHARGE pC ENERGY pJ
 100 mm 5 mm Click or tap Click or tap Click or tap 1 VOLT
here to enter here to enter here to enter
text. text. text.
100 mm 10 mm Click or tap Click or tap Click or tap 1 VOLT
here to enter here to enter here to enter
text. text. text.
200 mm 10 mm Click or tap Click or tap Click or tap 1 VOLT
here to enter here to enter here to enter
text. text. text.
200 mm 2 mm Click or tap Click or tap Click or tap 1 VOLT
here to enter here to enter here to enter
text. text. text.
400 mm 4 mm Click or tap Click or tap Click or tap 1 VOLT
here to enter here to enter here to enter
text. text. text.
Click or Click or tap .44 Click or tap Click or tap 1 VOLT
tap here here to enter here to enter here to enter
to enter text. text. text.
text.

Table 1
20. Complete the following statements, with increases, decreases or stays the same.
A. As the plate area increases, the capacitance Click or tap here to enter text.
B. As the dielectric separation increases, the capacitance Click or tap here to enter text.
C. What is the mathematical relationship between Plate Charge and Stored Energy
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21. Close the program and re-open with the Light Bulb button.
22. Set the VOLTAGE to .5 V, the Plate Area to 250mm2 and the Separation to 5 mm.
23. Flip the switch from left all the way to the right.
24. Describe what happens to the bulb: Click or tap here to enter text.
And the Voltage (speed) : Click or tap here to enter text.
25. Reset the switch to the left to re-charge the capacitor.
26. This time, about half way through the discharge, switch the switch to the NUETRAL
or center position.
27. After a few second switch back to the right.
28. The capacitor continues to store the charge as long as no load is connected.
29. Change the Plate Area to 100 mm2 and the Separation to 10 mm
30. Flip the switch to charge and discharge the capacitor. What difference do you notice?
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31. Change the voltage to 1.5 Volts.
32. Flip the switch to charge and discharge the capacitor. What difference do you notice?
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