Each of the four capacitors shown is 500 $\mu$F. The voltmeter reads 1000V. The magnitude of the charge on each capacitor plate is:
A) 0.2 C
B) 0.5 C
C) 20 C
D) 50 C
E) none of these

Question

Each of the four capacitors shown is 500 $\mu$F. The voltmeter reads 1000V. The magnitude of the charge on each capacitor plate is: 
A) 0.2 C 
B) 0.5 C 
C) 20 C 
D) 50 C 
E) none of these

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The total capacitance of the circuit is 500 + 500 + 500 + 10 = 1510μF. The charge on each capacitor plate is equal to the capacitance multiplied by the voltage, so the charge on each plate is 1510μF × 1000V = 1.51mC. Since there are two plates per capacitor, the total charge on each capacitor is 2 × 1.51mC = 3.02mC, which is equal to 0.5C when converted to coulombs. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

Each of the Four Capacitors Shown Is 500 μ\muμ F the Voltmeter Reads 1000V

Each of the Four Capacitors Shown Is 500 $\mu$ F the Voltmeter Reads 1000V