Question: The diagram in Fig. shows two charged parallel plates separated by 5mm. A device, which might be a battery or a power supply, has been attached to the two plates and has established a difference of electric potential of 10V between the plates.
The
symbol for "ground" or "common" means that the potential of the bottom plate is defined to be 0V.
a. What is the electric potential anywhere in the plane parallel to and halfway between the two metal plates?
b. What is the electric potential energy of a +2 µC charge when it is halfway between the two plates?
c. What is the electric potential energy of a -2 µC charge when it is halfway between the two plates?
Fig. - A pair of metal plates 5mm apart, parallel to each other, and connected to a 10V battery
d. For the previous two cases: i. Which charge has the larger electric potential energy? ii. Which charge is at the larger electric potential?
e. If the two charges are moved to the bottom plate, which of them undergoes the largest increase in potential energy? How much?
f. For the negative charge, what is the direction in space in which its potential energy will decrease most steeply? Why or why not is this surprising?
g. In what direction does the potential energy not change?
h. What is the value of E between the plates shown in Fig.?