Capacitors and Capacitive Circuits Lab Introduction: A capacitor is an electrical circuit element that consists of two conductive plates separated by a dielectric material. It has the ability to store charge and to release the charge through a closed circuit, creating a current in the circuit. There are five parts to this lab. Each part is a separate experiment to help you understand the physics and the mathematical models of a capacitor and of capacitive circuits. Note, however, that the direction of current flow shown in this simulation is opposite the convention that we use. Our convention is that positive charges move through the circuit from the positive terminal of the power supply (i.e.: the battery) to the negative terminal of the power supply. In this simulation, the current is shown to be carried by negative charges moving from the negative terminal of the power supply to the positive terminal of the power supply. In preparation for this lab, review the material covered on capacitors and capacitive circuits. Initial Setup: Open the PhET Capacitor simulation using the following link: https:/phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/capacitor-lab-basics/latest/capacitor-lab-basics_en.html When the link opens you will be offered two options: The Capacitance simulation and the Light Bulb simulation. Select the Capacitance simulation. Capacitor Lab: Basics Light Bulb Capacitance PHET When the screen opens, several of the check boxes are unchecked and the Voltmeter will be parked in the grey box. Check all of the check boxes as shown below and leave the voltmeter parked. 0.30 PF Plate Charges Top Plate Charge Stored Energy Electric Fiokd Currant DirectionThe voltage on the plates can be adjusted using the slider on the battery. The plate separation and area can be adjusted using the green arrows next to the top plate. You can get a more accurate measurement of voltage by placing the Voltmeter probes on wire leads coming from the batter to the capacitor. The battery can be connected and disconnected from the capacitor by moving the upper and lower switches onto and off of the battery leads. Spend some time playing with the simulation and familiarizing yourself with the controls.Part III: Capacitance and Charge & Voltage: CV=Q Objective: In this experiment you will study the relationship between charge on the capacitor's plates and the potential difference between the plates. You will be setting the plate capacitance to a fixed value then adjusting the potential difference supplied by the battery to the plates and recording the value of the charge for each measurement of potential difference. Open the PhET Capacitor simulation using the following link: https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/capacitor-lab-basics/latest/capacitor-lab-basics_en.html When the link opens you will be offered two options: The Capacitance simulation and the Light Bulb simulation. Select the Light bulb simulation. Procedure: 1. Reset the simulation. 2. Disconnect the battery from the capacitor using the switch, undock the volt meter and connect the leads to the battery as shown in the new circuit drawing. 3. Set the value of the capacitor C=0.89x10 12F by adjusting the area and spacing. 4. Record the area and spacing settings in the table that you will create in step 5. 5. Select 7 evenly spaced potential difference values for the battery between -1.5V and +1.5V. 6. Create a table in your notebook with the column headings shown and enter distance measurements that you have selected converting them to meters. Capacitance real from PhET (0.89x10 12) F Capacitor area: (m?) Capacitor spacing: (m) Potential Difference (Volts) Q(C) 7. Using the switch, connect the battery to the capacitor in the simulation.8. Using simulation adjust the battery voltage for each value in your table and record the charge Q (in Coulombs). Analysis: 1. Enter your data in Excel and generate a least squares linear graph of charge vs potential difference. 2. Record the equation of the of the line. 3. Using the mathematical model of a capacitor, calculate the value of the capacitance. 4. Calculate the percentage experimental error using the real value of the capacitance. Part IV: Voltage and Electric Field V=Ed: Objective: In this experiment you will study the relationship among capacitance, potential difference, plate spacing, Electric Field strength, and charge on the capacitor. You will be setting the plate capacitance to a fixed value then adjusting the potential difference supplied by the batter to the plates and recording the value of the charge for each measurement of potential difference. Procedure: 1. Reset the simulation. 2. Disconnect the battery from the capacitor using the switch, undock the volt meter and connect the leads to the battery as shown in the new circuit drawing. 3. Create the following table in your lab notebook: C(F) A (m') d(m) V(V) E (N/C) Q (C) U (J) PhET Values Calculated Values 4. Set the value of the capacitor C=0.89x10-12F by adjusting the area and spacing. 5. Record the capacitance, area and spacing settings in the table you created. 6. Select a non-zero potential difference on the battery and enter the value in the table. 7. Position the switch to connect the battery to the capacitor. 8. Record the values of Q and U shown on the simulation. Analysis: 1. Using the relationship, you learned in class between potential difference and electric field strength calculate the value of the electric field and enter it into the table. 2. Using the relationship, you learned in class among the electric field, the charge and the area of two oppositely charged conducting plates, calculate the value of the charge and enter it into the table. Using the relationship between electric potential energy, charge, and potential difference for a capacitor, calculate the value of the energy stored on the capacitor. Using the % difference method, calculate the % difference between the PhET value of charge and your calculated value5. Using the % difference method, calculate the % difference between the PhET value of stored energy and your calculated value