Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
University Physics Volume 2

Conceptual Questions

University Physics Volume 2Conceptual Questions

Conceptual Questions

8.1 Capacitors and Capacitance

1.

Does the capacitance of a device depend on the applied voltage? Does the capacitance of a device depend on the charge residing on it?

2.

Would you place the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor closer together or farther apart to increase their capacitance?

3.

The value of the capacitance is zero if the plates are not charged. True or false?

4.

If the plates of a capacitor have different areas, will they acquire the same charge when the capacitor is connected across a battery?

5.

Does the capacitance of a spherical capacitor depend on which sphere is charged positively or negatively?

8.2 Capacitors in Series and in Parallel

6.

If you wish to store a large amount of charge in a capacitor bank, would you connect capacitors in series or in parallel? Explain.

7.

What is the maximum capacitance you can get by connecting three 1.0-μF1.0-μF capacitors? What is the minimum capacitance?

8.3 Energy Stored in a Capacitor

8.

If you wish to store a large amount of energy in a capacitor bank, would you connect capacitors in series or parallel? Explain.

8.4 Capacitor with a Dielectric

9.

Discuss what would happen if a conducting slab rather than a dielectric were inserted into the gap between the capacitor plates.

10.

Discuss how the energy stored in an empty but charged capacitor changes when a dielectric is inserted if (a) the capacitor is isolated so that its charge does not change; (b) the capacitor remains connected to a battery so that the potential difference between its plates does not change.

8.5 Molecular Model of a Dielectric

11.

Distinguish between dielectric strength and dielectric constant.

12.

Water is a good solvent because it has a high dielectric constant. Explain.

13.

Water has a high dielectric constant. Explain why it is then not used as a dielectric material in capacitors.

14.

Elaborate on why molecules in a dielectric material experience net forces on them in a non-uniform electrical field but not in a uniform field.

15.

Explain why the dielectric constant of a substance containing permanent molecular electric dipoles decreases with increasing temperature.

16.

Give a reason why a dielectric material increases capacitance compared with what it would be with air between the plates of a capacitor. How does a dielectric material also allow a greater voltage to be applied to a capacitor? (The dielectric thus increases C and permits a greater V.)

17.

Elaborate on the way in which the polar character of water molecules helps to explain water’s relatively large dielectric constant.

18.

Sparks will occur between the plates of an air-filled capacitor at a lower voltage when the air is humid than when it is dry. Discuss why, considering the polar character of water molecules.

PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-2/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-2/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jun 11, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.