If the area of the plates of a parallel plate capacitor is halved and the separation between the plates tripled,then by what factor does the capacitance change?
A)increase by a factor of 6
B)decrease by a factor of 2/3
C)decrease by a factor of 1/6
D)increase by a factor of 3/2
E)decrease by a factor of 1/2

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is given by the formula:

C = εA/d

where ε is the permittivity of the material between the plates, A is the area of each plate, and d is the separation between the plates.

If the area of the plates is halved and the separation between the plates is tripled, the new capacitance can be calculated as:

C' = ε(A/2)/(3d)

= εA/(6d)

The new capacitance is 1/6 of the original capacitance. Therefore, the capacitance decreases by a factor of 1/6.

So, the correct answer is (C) decrease by a factor of 1/6.

If the Area of the Plates of a Parallel Plate