Q.Derive the expression for the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor having plate area 'A' and plate separation 'd'.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Using Gauss's law to find the uniform field between two oppositely charged parallel plates, then integrating to get the potential difference, and finally applying C = Q/V, gives C = epsilon0 A/d.
Consider two large parallel plates, each of area A, separated by a small distance d, carrying charges +Q and -Q, with surface charge density sigma = Q/A.
Step 1 - Field between the plates:
Each plate (treated as an infinite charged sheet) produces a field of magnitude sigma/(2 epsilon0) just outside it. Between the two oppositely charged plates, these fields add up (both point from + plate to - plate), giving a net uniform field:
E = sigma / epsilon0 = Q / (epsilon0 A)
Step 2 - Potential difference:
Since the field is uniform over the separation d:
V = E d = Q d / (epsilon0 A)
Step 3 - Capacitance:
By definition, C = Q/V, so:
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