Capacitor Lab Basics, Lab Report Example

Identify what capacitor features can be maximized or minimized to make a capacitor with the greatest capacitance.

Several factors are considered when increasing the capacitance of a capacitor. They include increasing the surface area of plates, decreasing the distance separating the plates, and using a dielectric medium to improve the permittivity of charges.

Design experiments to find the relationships between charge, voltage, and stored energy for a capacitor. Summarize your experimental procedures and findings.

Let:

The charge stored by the capacitor = Q

The voltage across the capacitor =    V

The capacitance of the capacitor =    C

The amount of charge passed to a capacitor for a certain period until its voltage becomes equal to the supply voltage determines the energy, E, stored in a capacitor. This relation is given below.

E = 0.5CV2

We also know that:

Q = CV,

Hence,

V = Q/C

Therefore,

E = 0.5C(Q/C)2

E = 0.5Q2/C

What features of simulation did you use to help you?

Voltage source adjuster, Separation selector, Bar Graphs or stored energy, plate charges, and plate area selector.

If you wanted to design a capacitor system to store the most incredible energy, what would you use?

E = 0.5CV2

The capacitance of a capacitor and the voltage source should increase the energy stored in a capacitor. The capacitance increases by reducing the area between the plates to increase the surface area between the plates.

What are the required components to use a capacitor to light a bulb, and how does the system operate?

The components necessary to use a capacitor to light a bulb are an energy source, a capacitor, the bulb, and connecting wires. The source of electric energy charges the capacitor. That capacitor stores energy transmitted to the bulb using the cables (Rajput et al., 2019). Therefore, the bulb lights.

How would using a capacitor to light a bulb compare to using just a battery as shown:

Capacitors store energy in electric fields, while batteries store energy in chemicals that undergo chemical reactions. Therefore, capacitors are rechargeable while the batteries are not. Also, the capacitors, when fully charged, can produce the brightest light because their energy is transmitted faster to the bulb. On the other hand, batteries take longer to produce energy; hence the bulb will be dimmer when batteries are used instead of capacitors.

Research to find a practical application where the energy stored in a capacitor is used.

Capacitors find applications in many electrical devices. They are used to do power factor correction, reduce system losses, and produce support voltage (Blooming & Carnovale, 2007). Also, the energy stored in capacitors can be used in cameras to create flashlights and light bulbs.

Ideas, observations, and experiences regarding electric energy and capacitance. In your own words, explain electric potentials, charged conductors, and capacitors.

The energy that is stored in a capacitor has potential electrical power. An uncharged capacitor has zero voltage and gradually comes up to its full potential charge when charged. Electric force facilitates the movement of an object from one position to another.  For example, gravity is dependent on changes in height. A conservative force has potential energy (PE). Capacitance refers to an electronic component that is used to store any form of electric charge. Capacitors refer to components with the ability to store energy in an electric charge that produces a static voltage across the plates.

A good example is a rechargeable battery and ranges from slight to large capacitors, such as the one used in powerhouses. Still, the purpose is to store energy in electric energy. Capacitors play a critical role in flash memory and Random-Access Memory (RAM). Capacitors can also be termed as building blocks of electronics.

Any object has electric potential because of its charge and its relative position to other electrically charged objects.  Electric potential is dependent on the amount well-referred to as electric potential energy. Electric potential is obtained by dividing the potential energy by the quantity of charge for any given charge. As such, the electric potential power of a system of charges is defined by the total force applied by an external agent to induce the charges from infinity to the present configuration without accelerating. Electric potential refers to the amount of energy required to move a unit charge from one point to another against an electric field. For instance, the forces acting on a charge between two plates have an electric field between them. A conductor is termed to be fully charged after reaching the electrostatic equilibrium. For instance, two concentric spaces between the two surfaces have the outer cylinder charged with positively charged and the inner cylinder negatively charged.

The idea of virtual labs is to facilitate students ‘ understanding and induce different hands-on training for future scientists.  My experience with using a virtual lab goes to 3D simulations because they give a more immersive experience.

References

Blooming, T. M., & Carnovale, D. J. (2007). Capacitor Application Issues. Conference Record of 2007 Annual Pulp and Paper Industry Technical Conference. Published. https://doi.org/10.1109/papcon.2007.4286298

Rajput, S., Averbukh, M., & Yahalom, A. (2019). Electric Power Generation Using a Parallel?Plate Capacitor. International Journal of Energy Research, 43(8), 3905–3913. https://doi.org/10.1002/er.4492