Education Technology


Capacitors

Activity Overview

Students explore the characteristics of capacitors. The activity begins with a look at the movement of charge in a parallel-plate capacitor and the effect of voltage on charge. Following the definition of capacitance, students explore how plate area, plate separation, and dielectrics affect capacitance. The activity ends with an investigation of the rate of discharge of a capacitor in an RC circuit.

Key Steps

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    Students should open the TNS file and read the first two pages. Page 1.3 illustrates a charged capacitor. Students should examine the capacitor on page 1.3 and then answer questions 1–3.