Same Move, Opposite Answers

You'll learnwhat a capacitor stores, how two of them combine, and why the same change can double or halve the energy depending on the wiring.

Two metal plates, a battery, and one question that decides everything: when something changes, which quantity is the wiring holding fixed? Twelve short steps; press Next for each one.

12 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · WHAT IS CLAMPED · THE GAP CARRIES NO CURRENT · v2

C is built into the hardware · the wiring says what is clamped

Before you start

What you're looking at

Two metal plates seen edge-on, wired to a battery. The + and − signs are the stored charge, sitting on the two facing surfaces. The cyan arrows are the field between them.

The question

When something about the capacitor changes, which quantity stays put?

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