Question

Students in an introductory physics lab are producing a region of uniform electric field by applying a voltage to two 20-cm-diameter aluminum plates separated by 2.3 cm. They connect the two plates to the two terminals of a high-voltage power supply and then gradually turn up the voltage. In such a situation, sparks start to fly when the field exceeds 3.0×10^6V/m. What is the highest voltage the students can use?

Answer 1

Answer:

69000 V

Explanation:

E = Electric field = $3\times 10^6\ V/m$

d = Distance between plates = 2.3 cm

When we multiply the electric field strength and the distance between the plates of a capacitor we get the maximum voltage.

Maximum voltage is given by

$V_m=Ed\\\Rightarrow V_m=3\times 10^6\times 2.3\times 10^{-2}\\\Rightarrow V_m=69000\ V$

The highest voltage the students can use is 69000 V