If the plates of a charged parallel plate capacitor were moved further apart, the potential energy of each of the charges on the capacitor would
A) remain the same.
B) increase.
C) decrease.
D) increase or decrease depending on the initial plate separation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The potential energy of each charge on a capacitor is proportional to the distance between the plates. As the plates are moved further apart, the potential energy of each charge will increase. This can be seen from the equation for the potential energy of a capacitor: U = (1/2)CV^2, where C is the capacitance and V is the voltage. Since C is constant for a given capacitor, increasing the distance between the plates (and thus the electric field strength) increases the voltage V, which in turn increases the potential energy U.

If the Plates of a Charged Parallel Plate Capacitor Were