PHET Capacitor Internet Lab

Capacitor Lab 2.02

(Make sure everything is checked on except for Voltmeter and Electric Field Detector)
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Turn the battery on. What appears?

In what direction are the field lines going?
What happens as the voltage increases?
What happens when the voltage is negative?
How does the voltage affect the capacitance?
What two things affect capacitance?
Which one affects it the most?

Click on the Dielectric Tab.

(Make sure everything is checked on except for Voltmeter and Electric Field Detector)
8. Turn on the battery. Slide the dielectric in. What happens?
9. Change the dielectric to Teflon, then paper, then glass. Which one increases the capacitance the most?
10. What is a dielectric?
Click on the Multiple Capacitors Tab.
(Make sure everything is checked on except for Electric Field Detector)
11. For one capacitor, take the leads of the voltmeter. Put one on the wire entering the capacitor and one on
the bottom wire exiting the capacitor. Write down the voltage reading. If you get a negative answer,
you have the leads mixed up so switch them.
12. Write down the total capacitance.
13. Select 2 in Series. Give the voltage reading for just one capacitor.
14. What happened to the voltage?
15. Write down the total capacitance.
16. Select 3 in Series. Give the voltage reading for just one capacitor.
17. What happened to the voltage?
18. Write down the total capacitance.
19. Select 2 in Parallel. Give the voltage reading for just one capacitor.
20. What happened to the voltage?
21. Write down the total capacitance.
22. Select 3 in Parallel. Give the voltage reading for just one capacitor.
23. What happened to the voltage?
24. Write down the total capacitance.
25. What is the electric symbol for a fixed capacitor?
26. Draw an example of a circuit with a battery with two capacitors in series.
27. Draw an example of a circuit with a battery with two capacitors in parallel.
28. If all of the capacitors are the same, what does the series configuration of capacitors do to the voltage on
one capacitor?
29. If all of the capacitors are the same, what does the parallel configuration of capacitors do to voltage on
one capacitor?
30. Select 3 in Series. Give the voltage reading for the middle capacitor.
31. Change the middle capacitor by sliding the capacitance all the way up. What happens to the other
capacitors?
32. Give the voltage reading for the middle capacitor.
33. Write down the total capacitance.

34. What is a Leyden Jar, and how does it relate to capacitors?