Electricity and Magnetism
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AP Physics 2 › Electricity and Magnetism
Consider the given diagram. If , each plate of the capacitor has surface area
, and the plates are 0.1mm apart, determine the number of excess electrons on the negative plate.
None of these
Explanation
The voltage rise through the source must be the same as the drop through the capacitor.
The voltage drop across the capacitor is the equal to the electric field multiplied by the distance.
Combine equations and find the electric field:
Convert mm to m and plugg in values:
Use the electric field in a capacitor equation:
Convert to
and plug in values:
The magnitude of total charge on the positive plate is equal to the total charge on the negative plate, so to find the number of excess elections:
Determine the total resistance of the given circuit.
Explanation
In order to find the total resistance of the circuit, we need to combine all of the parallel resistors first, then add them together as resistors in series.
Combine with
:
Combine with
:
Combine with
:
Then, add the combined resistors, which are now all in series:
A circuit contains a battery and a
resistor in series. Determine the magnitude of the magnetic field outside of the loop
away from the wire.
None of these
Explanation
Using
Converting to
and plugging in values
Determining current:
You have 3 resistors in parallel with each other. What can you say for certain about the total resistance of the circuit?
The total resistance is less than any individual resistor.
The total resistance is higher than any individual resistor.
The total resistance is somwhere between the highest resistor and the lowest resistor.
Nothing can be said for certain about the total resistance.
The total resistance is equal to the arithmetic mean of the resistors.
Explanation
Because the resistors are in parallel, we can use the equation for finding the total resistance.
Using this equation, any positive numbers we plug into the equation for the resistances will yield a number that is less than any of the resistors individually. Using this property allows for many more resistances to be achieved besides the individual resistors one may have.
Determine the voltage drop across
None of these
Explanation
The first step is to find the total resistance of the circuit.
In order to find the total resistance of the circuit, it is required to combine all of the parallel resistors first, then add them together as resistors in series.
Combining with
,
with
,
with
.
Then, combining with
and
:
Ohms is used law to determine the total current of the circuit
Combing all voltage sources for the total voltage.
Plugging in given values,
The voltage drop across parallel resistors must be the same, so:
Using ohms law:
It is also true that:
Using Subsitution
Solving for :
Plugging back into ohms law in order to find the voltage drop.
.
A proton is traveling parallel to a wire in the same direction as the conventional current. The proton is traveling at . The current in the wire is
. The proton and the wire are
apart. Determine the magnetic force on the proton.
None of these
Explanation
Finding the magnetic field at the location of the proton.
Converting to
and plugging in values
Using
A circuit contains a battery and a
resistor in series. Determine the magnitude of the magnetic field outside of the loop
away from the wire.
None of these
Explanation
Using
Converting to
and plugging in values
Determining current:
A capacitor is connected to a
battery. Once the capacitor is fully charged, how much energy is stored?
None of the other answers is correct
Explanation
To find the amount of energy stored in a capactior, we use the equation
.
We're given the capacitance (), and the voltage (
), so we'll use the third equation.
Determine the total resistance of the given circuit.
Explanation
In order to find the total resistance of the circuit, we need to combine all of the parallel resistors first, then add them together as resistors in series.
Combine with
:
Combine with
:
Combine with
:
Then, add the combined resistors, which are now all in series:
You have 4 resistors, ,
,
, and
, set up like this:

Their resistance are as follows:
If the battery has 8V, what is the total power dissipated through the resistors?
Explanation
The equation for power is
In order to get the power, we need the current. To find the current, we need to get the total resistance, and use Ohm's Law ().
To find the total resistance, remember the equations for adding resistors is this:
Resistors and
are in series, resistors
and
are in parallel, and resistors
and
are in series.
Now, we can find the current.
Finally, we can find the power.
Therefore, the power is 16W (watts).