Capacitoes and Dielectrics BANANZA VER

What was the main disadvantage of the Leyden Jar?

It only worked once before needing to be recharged

Before batteries, what was the main way electricity was studied?

Leyden jar

When a device is turned off, what happens to a capacitor?

The capacitor continues to store energy

What do capacitors look like in a circuit diagram?

Like a battery but the lines are the same size

When does a capacitor have the power to push back on the current?

When it has the same voltage as the battery

What happens when you open a switch on a circuit with a capacitor?

Current flows for a bit, but stops as the capacitor neutralizes itself

The voltage of a capacitor can NEVER…

Exceed the battery that charged it

How does a dielectric prevent the discharge of a capacitor?

It creates an opposing electric field due to its polarization

What materials are often used as dielectrics in devices?

Paper or plastoc

During a storm the bottom of a cloud is ____ and the top is ______

negative, positive

A lightning bolt can heat up to…

Temperatures hottter than the sun

What is thunder literally?

A sonic boom as the air rapidly expands due to the heat

How is the Earth made into a capacitor?

Due to the hundreds of lightning strikes a second, there is a constant flow of charge between the Earth and atmosphere

Why are sprites, elves or jets rarely seen?

They happen above clouds where the air is thin

What inner planet has an upper atmosphere much thicker than Earth’s?

Benus

What planets have lightning besides Earth?

Jupiter, Saturn’s moon Titan, and Venus