A network of capacitors is mostly inside a sealed box,but one capacitor C_X is sticking out,as shown in the figure.When you connect a multimeter across points a and b,it reads 27.0 µF.What is C_X? A)27.0 µF B)23.0 µF C)4.0 µF D)2.4 µF E)2.2 µF

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the capacitor C_X is the only capacitor sticking out of the box, it must be the one being measured by the multimeter. Therefore, the value of C_X is also 27.0 µF, which is not one of the answer choices. However, the capacitors in the network are connected in parallel, so their equivalent capacitance must be less than the value of the capacitor being measured. Since 27.0 µF is not one of the answer choices, the next closest option is 4.0 µF, which is significantly smaller than 27.0 µF and could be a realistic value for the equivalent capacitance of the network. Therefore, the best choice is C.

A Network of Capacitors Is Mostly Inside a Sealed Box,but