Week 11 A2 Questions Name ………………………………..

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1. The diagram shows a capacitor and a resistor connected to a 6.0 V battery. Both the ammeter and the battery
have negligible internal resistance.

560μF
200 k

6.0 V

The switch is closed. Some time later the ammeter reads 20 µA.

(a) Show that the potential difference across the capacitor at this instant is 2.0 V.

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(2)

(b) Calculate the charge stored in the capacitor when the potential difference across it is 2.0 V.

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Charge = ..................................
(2)

(c) Calculate the electrical energy now stored in the capacitor.

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Electrical energy stored = ........................................

(1)

(d) Calculate the electrical energy transferred in the battery up to this instant.

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Electrical energy transferred = .................................................

(1)

(e) What is the main reason for the difference between the energy values you have calculated in (c) and
(d)?

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(1)
(Total 7 marks)

2. A student researching capacitance finds the following statements in different sources:

“A human body charged to 30 000 V has only about 0.045 J of stored electrical energy.’’

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 “The human body can be modelled as a capacitor of about 10 pF in parallel with a resistor.’’

(a) (i) Determine whether the data given in the first statement are consistent with the capacitance
quoted in the second statement.

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(3)

(ii) Calculate the static charge on the body referred to in the first statement.

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Charge = ..............................
(2)

(b) (i) A spark is seen when a person charged to 30 000 V brings his hand towards an earthed metal
plate. Such sparks occur when the electric field strength is sufficient to ionise the air. The
minimum electric field strength for this is 3.0 × 106 Vm–1. Assume that the hand and the metal
plate can be treated as a pair of parallel plates, and that the voltage between the hand and the
earth remains 30 000 V. Calculate the greatest separation of hand and plate for which the spark
could occur.

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Greatest separation = ...............................

(2)

(ii) Ions and electrons produced in the electric field between the hand and the plate
(3.0 × 106 V m–1) are accelerated and may collide with other particles, causing further
ionisation.

Calculate the force on an electron in this field.

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Force = .................................
(2)

(c) The ionization energy of a typical particle in the air is 35 eV. Calculate the maximum number of such
particles an electron could ionise while it is moving a total distance of 1 mm in this field.

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Number = .............................
(3)
(Total 12 marks)

3. This is an extract from an article on thunderstorms.

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 “The electric field required to cause damp air to ionise, as happens in a lightning strike, is
3 × 105 V m–1. When this happens, 40 C of charge passes between the cloud (at a height of 5 km) and the
ground. The strike lasts 20 ms, and completely discharges the cloud.”

The cloud and the ground below it may be modelled as a capacitor, as in the diagram.

Cloud – – – – – – – – – – – –

5 km

+ + + + + + + + + + + +
Ground

Calculate the voltage between the cloud and the ground when the strike occurs.

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Voltage = ...........................................
(2)

Calculate the capacitance between the cloud and the ground.

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Capacitance = ...........................................
(2)

Find an approximate value for the resistance of the air between the cloud and the ground during the strike.

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Resistance = ...........................................
(2)

A different way of modelling a thunder cloud is to treat the charge of –40 C as a point charge at a height of 5
km, as shown in the diagram below.

Assume in this simple model that the ground has no effect on the field strength or shape.

5 km

Ground
X

Using this model,

(i) draw on the shaded area of the diagram the electric field in that region,
(2)

(ii) calculate the value of the electric field this point charge of –40 C would cause at the point X on the
ground immediately below it,
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 .....................................................................................................................................

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Electric field = ...........................................

(2)

(iii) explain why one might expect the lightning strike to begin from the cloud and not from the ground.

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(1)
(Total 11 marks)
4. The potential difference between the plates of a 220 µF capacitor is 5.0 V.

Calculate the charge stored on the capacitor.

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Charge = ...............................................................
(2)

Calculate the energy stored by the capacitor.

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Energy = ...............................................................
(2)

Describe how you would show experimentally that the charge stored on a 220 µF capacitor is proportional to
the potential difference across the capacitor for a range of potential differences between 0 and 15 V. Your
answer should include a circuit diagram.

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(5)
(Total 9 marks)
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