What determines the charge stored in a capacitor, according to the source?

What determines the charge stored in a capacitor, according to the source?

• A. The charge provided by the circuit
• B. The dielectric constant
• C. The material of the plates
• D. The initial voltage

Answer: (A)

The amount of charge stored on a capacitor is determined by how much charge the surrounding circuit can place on its plates. When a voltage source is connected, charge is pushed onto one plate and removed from the other, creating equal and opposite charges Q on the plates. The final Q that the capacitor holds depends on the circuit’s ability to supply charge, and, for a given voltage, scales with the capacitance as Q = C V. The dielectric constant and plate material set the capacitance, so they influence how much charge you can store at a given voltage, but the actual stored charge is governed by the circuit delivering charge. The initial voltage just describes the starting condition and doesn’t determine the final charge unless the source is not supplying additional charge.

The amount of charge stored on a capacitor is determined by how much charge the surrounding circuit can place on its plates. When a voltage source is connected, charge is pushed onto one plate and removed from the other, creating equal and opposite charges Q on the plates. The final Q that the capacitor holds depends on the circuit’s ability to supply charge, and, for a given voltage, scales with the capacitance as Q = C V. The dielectric constant and plate material set the capacitance, so they influence how much charge you can store at a given voltage, but the actual stored charge is governed by the circuit delivering charge. The initial voltage just describes the starting condition and doesn’t determine the final charge unless the source is not supplying additional charge.