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Philip Wood
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For a plate configuration of a certain capacitance, C, the charges on the plates are determined just by the value of $C$ and the applied potential difference, $\Delta V$, between the plates. $Q=±C\Delta V$. When a battery is connected to a capacitor, there is current through the connecting wires until $\Delta V$ is equal to the pd between the battery terminals, which is then equal to the battery emf, $\mathscr E$. Even if there had been a potential drop across the wires while the capacitor was charging, Ohm's law shows that there won't be when $\Delta V$ has reached its final value and there is no current. So the length of connecting wires is irrelevant to the final value of $\Delta V$, and the final charges on the plates are $±C\mathscr E$.

Having ruled out any effect of the length of connecting wires on the final $\Delta V$, you might wonder if it could affect the charges on the plates by changing $C$. The answer, for any normal capacitor with plates of much greater linear dimensions than their separation, is no, not significantly, not significantly. See – see John Rennie's comment.

For a plate configuration of a certain capacitance, C, the charges on the plates are determined just by the value of $C$ and the applied potential difference, $\Delta V$, between the plates. $Q=±C\Delta V$. When a battery is connected to a capacitor, there is current through the connecting wires until $\Delta V$ is equal to the pd between the battery terminals, which is then equal to the battery emf, $\mathscr E$. Even if there had been a potential drop across the wires while the capacitor was charging, there won't be when $\Delta V$ has reached its final value and there is no current. So the length of connecting wires is irrelevant to the final value of $\Delta V$, and the final charges on the plates are $±C\mathscr E$.

Having ruled out any effect of the length of connecting wires on the final $\Delta V$, you might wonder if it could affect the charges on the plates by changing $C$. The answer, for any normal capacitor with plates of much greater linear dimensions than their separation, is no, not significantly. See John Rennie's comment.

For a plate configuration of a certain capacitance, C, the charges on the plates are determined just by the value of $C$ and the applied potential difference, $\Delta V$, between the plates. $Q=±C\Delta V$. When a battery is connected to a capacitor, there is current through the connecting wires until $\Delta V$ is equal to the pd between the battery terminals, which is then equal to the battery emf, $\mathscr E$. Even if there had been a potential drop across the wires while the capacitor was charging, Ohm's law shows that there won't be when $\Delta V$ has reached its final value and there is no current. So the length of connecting wires is irrelevant to the final value of $\Delta V$, and the final charges on the plates are $±C\mathscr E$.

Having ruled out any effect of the length of connecting wires on the final $\Delta V$, you might wonder if it could affect the charges on the plates by changing $C$. The answer, for any normal capacitor with plates of much greater linear dimensions than their separation, is no, not significantly – see John Rennie's comment.

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Philip Wood
  • 36.6k
  • 3
  • 35
  • 85

For a plate configuration of a certain capacitance, C, the charges on the plates are determined just by the value of $C$ and the applied potential difference, $\Delta V$, between the plates. $Q=±C\Delta V$. When a battery is connected to a capacitor, there is current through the connecting wires until $\Delta V$ is equal to the pd between the battery terminals, which is then equal to the battery emf, $\mathscr E$. Even if there had been a potential drop across the wires while the capacitor was charging, there won't be when $\Delta V$ has reached its final value and there is no current. So the length of connecting wires is irrelevant to the final value of $\Delta V$, and the final charges on the plates are $±C\mathscr E$.

Having ruled out any effect of the length of connecting wires on the final $\Delta V$, you might wonder if it could affect the charges on the plates by changing $C$. The answer, for any normal capacitor with plates of much greater linear dimensions than their separation, is no, not significantly. See John Rennie's comment.

For a plate configuration of a certain capacitance, C, the charges on the plates are determined just by the value of $C$ and the applied potential difference, $\Delta V$, between the plates. $Q=±C\Delta V$. When a battery is connected to a capacitor, there is current through the connecting wires until $\Delta V$ is equal to the pd between the battery terminals, which is then equal to the battery emf, $\mathscr E$. Even if there had been a potential drop across the wires while the capacitor was charging, there won't be when $\Delta V$ has reached its final value and there is no current. So the length of connecting wires is irrelevant to the final value of $\Delta V$, and the final charges on the plates are $±C\mathscr E$.

Having ruled out any effect of the length of connecting wires on the final $\Delta V$, you might wonder if it could affect the charges on the plates by changing $C$. The answer, for any normal capacitor with plates of much greater linear dimensions than their separation, is no, not significantly.

For a plate configuration of a certain capacitance, C, the charges on the plates are determined just by the value of $C$ and the applied potential difference, $\Delta V$, between the plates. $Q=±C\Delta V$. When a battery is connected to a capacitor, there is current through the connecting wires until $\Delta V$ is equal to the pd between the battery terminals, which is then equal to the battery emf, $\mathscr E$. Even if there had been a potential drop across the wires while the capacitor was charging, there won't be when $\Delta V$ has reached its final value and there is no current. So the length of connecting wires is irrelevant to the final value of $\Delta V$, and the final charges on the plates are $±C\mathscr E$.

Having ruled out any effect of the length of connecting wires on the final $\Delta V$, you might wonder if it could affect the charges on the plates by changing $C$. The answer, for any normal capacitor with plates of much greater linear dimensions than their separation, is no, not significantly. See John Rennie's comment.

Source Link
Philip Wood
  • 36.6k
  • 3
  • 35
  • 85

For a plate configuration of a certain capacitance, C, the charges on the plates are determined just by the value of $C$ and the applied potential difference, $\Delta V$, between the plates. $Q=±C\Delta V$. When a battery is connected to a capacitor, there is current through the connecting wires until $\Delta V$ is equal to the pd between the battery terminals, which is then equal to the battery emf, $\mathscr E$. Even if there had been a potential drop across the wires while the capacitor was charging, there won't be when $\Delta V$ has reached its final value and there is no current. So the length of connecting wires is irrelevant to the final value of $\Delta V$, and the final charges on the plates are $±C\mathscr E$.

Having ruled out any effect of the length of connecting wires on the final $\Delta V$, you might wonder if it could affect the charges on the plates by changing $C$. The answer, for any normal capacitor with plates of much greater linear dimensions than their separation, is no, not significantly.