Moderate

When a charge Q on a capacitor is doubled, then energy stored U will be:

Correct answer: D. 4U

  • A. 2U
  • B. 3U
  • C. U/2
  • D. 4U

Explanation

The energy stored in a capacitor (U) is given by the formula:U = (1/2) * C * V^2where C is the capacitance of the capacitor and V is the voltage across the capacitor.When a charge (Q) on a capacitor is doubled, the voltage (V) across the capacitor remains the same if the capacitance (C) is constant. This is because the capacitance of a capacitor is defined as the ratio of charge to voltage, and if the charge is doubled while the voltage remains the same, the capacitance remains unchanged.So, in this case, if Q is doubled, the voltage V remains the same. Substituting this into the formula for energy stored in a capacitor:U = (1/2) * Q^2/CSince V remains constant, the energy stored U is proportional to the square of the charge Q. Thus, when the charge on a capacitor is doubled, the energy stored in the capacitor will be quadrupled (i.e., multiplied by a factor of 4).

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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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