Chapter 5

CHAPTER # 5 (Problems)
1. Find the electric field strength at a point 2 m from a charge of 4 µC.

2. The electric field strength is 36 newtons/coulomb (N/C) at a point r meters from a charge of
0.064 µC. Find the distance r.

3. Find the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor if 1400 µC of charge are deposited on
its plates when 20 V are applied across the plates.

4. How much charge is deposited on the plates of a 0.05-mF capacitor if 45 V are applied across
the capacitor?

5. Find the electric field strength between the plates of a parallel plate capacitor if 100 mV
are applied across the plates and the plates are 2 mm apart.

6. Repeat Problem 5 if the plates are separated by 4 mils.

7. A 4-mF parallel plate capacitor has 160 µC of charge on its plates. If the plates are 5 mm
apart, find the electric field strength between the plates.

8. Find the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor if the area of each plate is 0.075 m 2
and the distance between the plates is 1.77 mm. The dielectric is air.

9. Repeat Problem 8 if the dielectric is paraffin-coated paper.

10. Find the distance in mils between the plates of a 2-mF capacitor if the area of each
plate is 0.09 m2 and the dielectric is transformer oil.

11. The capacitance of a capacitor with a dielectric of air is 1200 pF. When a dielectric is
inserted between the plates, the capacitance increases to 0.006 mF. Of what material is the
dielectric made?

12. The plates of a parallel plate air capacitor are 0.2 mm apart and have an area of 0.08
m2, and 200 V are applied across the plates.

a. Determine the capacitance.

b. Find the electric field intensity between the plates.

c. Find the charge on each plate if the dielectric is air.

13. A sheet of Bakelite 0.2 mm thick having an area of 0.08 m 2 is inserted between the
plates of Problem 12.

a. Find the electric field strength between the plates.

b. Determine the charge on each plate.

c. Determine the capacitance.

14. For the circuit in give below figure:

a. Determine the time constant of the circuit.

b. Write the mathematical equation for the voltage v C following the closing of the
switch.

c. Determine the voltage v C after one, three, and five time constants.

d. Write the equations for the current i C and the voltage v R .

e. Sketch the waveforms for v C and i C .

15. Repeat Problem 17 for R = 1 M ohm , and compare the results.

16. For the circuit in give below figure:

a. Determine the time constant of the circuit.

b. Write the mathematical equation for the voltage v C following the closing of the
switch.

c. Determine v C after one, three, and five time constants.

d. Write the equations for the current i C and the voltage v R .

e. Sketch the waveforms for v C and i C .

17. For the circuit of the following Fig.:

a. Determine the time constant of the circuit.

b. Write the mathematical equation for the voltage v C following the closing of the
switch.

c. Write the mathematical expression for the current i C following the closing of the
switch.

d. Sketch the waveforms of v C and i C .

18. For the circuit of the following Fig.:

a. Determine the time constant of the circuit when the switch is thrown into
position 1.

b. Find the mathematical expression for the voltage across the capacitor after the
switch is thrown into position 1.

c. Determine the mathematical expression for the current following the closing of
the switch (position 1).

d. Determine the voltage v C and the current i C if the switch is thrown into position
2 at t = 100 ms.

e. Determine the mathematical expressions for the voltage v C and the current i C if the
switch is thrown into position 3 at t = 200 ms.
Chapter 5

f. Plot the waveforms of v C and i C for a period of time extending from t = 0 to t =

19. Repeat Problem 21 for a capacitance of 20 mF.

20. The capacitor of Fig. 10.86 is initially charged to 40 V before the switch is closed. Write
the expressions for the voltages v C and v R and the current i C for the decay phase.

21. For the circuit of the following Fig.:

a. Find the mathematical expressions for the transient behavior of the voltage v C
and the current i C following the closing of the switch.

b. Sketch the waveforms of v C and i C .

22. The capacitor in the following Fig.: is initially charged to 4 V with the polarity shown.

a. Write the mathematical expressions for the voltage v C and the current i C when the
switch is closed.

b. Sketch the waveforms of v C and i C .

23. The capacitor of the following Fig.: is initially charged to 2 V with the polarity shown.

a. Write the mathematical expressions for the voltage v C and the current i C when the
switch is closed.

b. Sketch the waveforms of v C and i C .

24. Find the total capacitance C T between points a and b of the circuits of the following Fig.:.

25. Find the voltage across and charge on each capacitor for the circuits the following Fig.:
Chapter 5

26. For each configuration of following figure, determine the voltage across each capacitor
and the charge on each capacitor.

27. Find the energy stored by a 120-pF capacitor with 12 V across its plates.

28. If the energy stored by a 6-mF capacitor is 1200 J, find the charge Q on each plate of
the capacitor.

29. An electronic flashgun has a 1000-mF capacitor that is charged to 100 V.

a. How much energy is stored by the capacitor?

b. What is the charge on the capacitor?

c. When the photographer takes a picture, the flash fires for 1/2000 s. What is the
average current through the flashtube?

30. For the network, Determine the energy stored by each capacitor under steady-state
conditions.