Exam-style question
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How does the separation between the plates of a parallel plate capacitor affect its capacitance?.
- A.Capacitance increases with increased separation
- B.Capacitance decreases with increased separation
- C.Capacitance remains unchanged
- D.Capacitance is independent of plate separation
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- Capacitance decreases with increased separation
Explanation
Why this works
The capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor decreases as the separation between the plates increases because capacitance is inversely proportional to the distance between the plates. This means that greater separation results in a lower ability to store charge at a given voltage.
The key difference here is that while increasing plate area increases capacitance, increasing separation decreases it, illustrating how both factors influence capacitance in opposite ways.
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