Many computer keyboard buttons are constructed using capacitors. When a key is pushed down, the soft insulator between the movable plate and the fixed plate is compressed. When the key is pressed, what happens to the capacitance?

Correct answer: A. It increases

  • A. It increases
  • B. It decreases
  • C. It remains same
  • D. It changes in a way you cannot determine because of the complex circuit

Explanation

When the key is pressed, the plate separation is decreased, and the capacitance increases. Capacitance depends only on how the capacitor is constructed and not on the external circuit

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About Electrostatics

Electrostatics describes forces between charges through Coulomb's law, electric fields and field intensity, then uses electric potential to measure energy per unit charge. Capacitors store charge and electrical energy, with capacitance depending on geometry and dielectric material, not simply on the amount of charge present.

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