Capacitors

(Contains Pre Laboratory Assignment)

Objective: To measure
(i) the properties of a single capacitor.
(ii) the properties of series and parallel capacitors.
(iii) the properties of a capacitor containing a dielectric.

Apparatus
The apparatus used includes:

Pasco variable capacitor apparatus

Regulated voltage supply (0-30 VDC)

Electrometer voltmeter with low capacitance cables

330 pF (2%) capacitor

Computer with Data Studio software

Capacitor
Plates

Red
Banana
Plug with
Capacitor

Voltage
source
Electrometer

Figure 1: Experimental setup. Certain parts of this experiment are sensitive to stray electrostatic charge.
Avoid wearing clothing that contains polyester. Instead, wear fabrics that contain cotton.

The Physics
Capacitor
A capacitor is an electrical device that stores charge. The basic unit consists of two metal plates which are parallel
to each other (see the circular plates in figure 1 above). One of the plates can be charged positive and the other can
be charged negative by connecting to the appropriate terminals of a voltage source such as a battery. Note that each
plate has only one kind of excess charge either positive or negative. In the case of the positive plate, the positive
charges have to be squeezed together against the repulsive forces between the neighboring positive chages. This
means that somebody or something did work against the repulsive force to bring the charges together. In the case of
a battery, it is work comes from the conversion of the chemical energy in the battery. This work done is stored as
potential energy of the capacitor. It can be recovered as kinetic energy of moving charges (current) when the
capacitor is discharged. Thus, the capacitor by storing charges, actually stores energy. The RAM in your computer
is essentially a capacitor, where a charged capacitor corresponds to the bit 1 and the discharged capacitor to the
the bit 0.
The standard picture of a capacitor is two parallel plate electrodes on which the charge are stored. Such a capacitor
has a capacitance

C=

0 A

(1)

where A is the plate area, d the plate separation, is the dielectric constant of the material between the plates, and 0
= 8.85 picoFarad/meter (pF/m). This week we will make some basic measurements on a capacitor with variable d.
The apparatus will also be used to measure for a sheet of plastic.

Electrometer Capacitance
The electrometer is special kind of voltmeter for measuring voltages without reducing the charge on the capacitor. It
has a large impedance (primarily a large resistance) which will not seriously change the properties of the circuit
under test. The high input resistance is necessary to minimize its impact on DC circuits. There is also an input
capacitance that cannot be ignored in this lab exercise.
The potential difference across an external capacitor will be measured using the electrometer. The very act of
connecting the electrometer adds an additional capacitance in parallel with the device under study as shown in the
figure below. This electrometer capacitance Ce two sources. One is the internal capacitance of the electrometer and
the other is the capacitance of the cable you will use to measure the voltage on some device. So, every time we use
the electrometer to measure a capacitor, we are actually measuring

C = Ce + Cdevice

(2)

where Ce is the electrometer input capacitance plus the cable capacitance.

Cdevice

Ce

V
electrometer

Figure 2: Schematic of the setup for measuring the capacitance of some device Cdevice using an electrometer.

For the electrometers and cables you will use in this lab Ce = 84 pF. Whenever a capacitance is probed with the
electrometer, this value of parallel input capacitance of the electrometer and cable must be included.

Measuring Capacitors in Series

The circuit below can be used to measure the relative size of two capacitors. If C2 is known, applying a constant
voltage Vs across the two capacitors induces a charge Q on each. If the voltage across C1 is V, then the voltage
across C2 is Vs-V, so

Q = C1V = C2 (VS V )

C 2 (VS V )
V

or C1 =

(3)

Remember that C1 includes the electrometer capacitance as well!

C2

VS

C1

Measurement of the Dielectric Constant

As discussed above, for a capacitor without any material present, the capacitance is given by:

C0 =

0 A
d

The capacitor gap is partially filled with a dielectric with constant as shown below. The material, with thickness t,
and the remaining gap, with thickness d-t, can be regarded as two capacitors connected in series.

d-t
d

The equivalent capacitance is

1
1
1
= 0 A + 0 A
C
t
d t

(4)

Procedure
The procedure consists of four segments. Read the procedure carefully, and pay particular attention to details.
1. Before starting measurements with the electrometer, make sure it is turned on and grounded to the power
supply. Adjust the electrometer to the 30 volt range. You will be using this range throughout this lab. Configure
Data Studio by executing the steps below:
(i) On your desk top, click the Data Studio icon.
(ii) Click Create Experiment.
(iii) When the Experiment Setup window appears, click Add Sensor or Instrument.
(iv) Scroll down the list of sensors and select Electrometer (Basic). Click OK and you
should see the Electrometer (Basic) icon in the Experiment Setup window.
(v) From the list of Displays on the lower left side of your screen, select Digits and
Meter. This will provide both an analog and digital display of voltages. Note: Do not
measure voltages using the analog display on the electrometer itself.
(vi) To commence measurements, click the Start button. Voltages will be displayed on the
screen in digital and analog format.
2.

[3.0 points] First the variation of capacitance with the distance d between the plates will be measured. A fixed
amount of charge Q will be applied to the capacitor, and the change in voltage with d will be measured.
The capacitor gap can be varied by sliding one plate. The position of the plate is registered on a scale on the
support base. When the plates are as close together as possible there will be a gap of 1.0 mm defined by the
three small plastic spacers. Bring the plates together and note what scale value corresponds to a 1 mm gap.
Record this value for future use.
Connect the measurement leads from the electrometer across the large parallel plate capacitor. The connections
should made as in the Fig. below.

For this part of the lab, the procedure for charging the capacitor is described in the following steps:
(i) Set the plates about 5 cm apart (remember the scale offset just measured!).
(ii) Zero the electrometer.

(iii) Apply 30 VDC across the capacitor by touching the + voltage lead from the power supply to the nongrounded plate of the capacitor.
(iv) Then, turn off the power supply.
Note that the above charging procedure applies only to this part of the lab. Do NOT attempt to use this
procedure for the other sections; follow the directions given in those sections.
Carefully adjust the spacing between the plates to the next gap value and record the voltage. After recording
the voltage, return the spacing to 5 cm and recharge the capacitor according to steps 1 through 4 above. Then
adjust the spacing to the next value and record the new voltage. Repeat this procedure for all gap values.
Note qualitatively the relation between measured voltage and the capacitor gap. Since Q = CV is constant, a
larger gap (lower C) will give larger voltage. Record your data in a table using the form shown below. Use
small point spacing (0.1 cm) for small gaps, going to larger spacing (1.0 cm) for the largest gaps.

Gap (cm)
0.1
0.2
:
:
4.0
5.0

Voltage (volts)

Be very careful to move as little as possible during the measurement. Any static charge can effect the
measurement. Also, work quickly to avoid systematic error from loss of charge.
The data should be consistent with

A
Q = Ce + 0 V = constant

Remember that Ce=84 pF, d and V are in your table, and A = R2 where R = 10 cm (assume that 10 has two
significant figures). Plot 1/V vs. 1/d to see if the dependence is linear. You can rearrange the above equation to
put the slope in terms of known parameters, and then compare. (Hint: Determine Q using the intercept.) Print a
copy of the graph for your notebook. Comment on the consistency between your data and the above formula.

3.

[2.5 points] The variation of C with d can also be measured by placing a second capacitor in series with the
variable capacitor.
Connect the electrometer across the variable capacitor, and add the 330 pF capacitor in series as shown below.
Connect the voltage source across both capacitors as shown.

330 pF = C2

VS

C1

The picture corresponding to the above circuit diagram is given below.

Set the voltage supply to zero, and press the zero button on the electrometer. This combination of actions will
remove all charge from both capacitors.
Increase the voltage supply to 30 volts and observe the voltage on the electrometer.
Repeat the process of (a) zeroing both the voltage and the electrometer, and (b) raising the supply voltage and
recording the electrometer voltage for a series of gap values. Enter the data in a table of the form:
Gap (cm)
0.1
0.2
:
:
4.0
5.0

Voltage (volts)

The capacitance C1 of the variable capacitor and electrometer can be computed from the supply voltage Vs, the
observed voltage V and the fixed capacitor value C2 = 330 pF.

C1 = C 2

(Vs V )
V

Prepare a table of C1 as a function of d. Include both your measured and the predicted values.
Gap (cm)
0.1
0.2
:
4.0
5.0

Measured C1 (pF)

Theoretical C1 (pF)

Verify that the data is consistent with C1 = Ce +

0 A
d

. For partial credit, simply comment on the agreement

between your measured data and the theoretical prediction. For full credit, also plot a linear graph between the
measured C1 versus 1/d that verifies the above equation, print a copy for your notebook, and compare the
predicted and measured slopes. Compare the value of Ce from the y-intercept on the graph to the value given in
the manual.
4.

[1.5 points] The dielectric constant of the material between the capacitors can be measured using the method
outlined in The Physics discussion above. The circuit wiring will be the same as that used in part 3 above.
Take the plastic sheet and place it between the two capacitor plates. Make d as small as possible, by pressing
the plates together just hard enough to hold the plastic in place, and no harder. Otherwise d will change when
the plastic is removed. Record the thickness of the sheet t, and calculate d = t + 1 mm. If the plates are not
perfectly parallel, d will vary significantly over the surface of the plates, since the plate spacing is very small. A
large error in the value of d will result in a significant error in the final calculation of the dielectric constant of
the plastic sheet.
Set the voltage supply to zero, and press the zero button on the electrometer. This combination of actions will
remove all charge from both capacitors. Increase the voltage supply to 30 volts and observe the voltage on the
electrometer V.
Remove the plastic sheet while keeping d fixed and repeat the process of (a) zeroing both the voltage and the
electrometer, and (b) raising the supply voltage. Call this voltage V0.
From this data (d, t, V0, V, C2 = 330 pF) perform the necessary calculations to find the dielectric constant of
the plastic sheet. When applying the formula derived in the prelab assignment, errors in C0 and C will cancel,
reducing the overall error in the measurement. The known value of the dielectric constant is 2.3 0.3.

Additional points will be awarded for your statement of Purpose [0.5], your written Conclusions [0.5], and for the
Quiz and/or Overall neatness and organization of your report [1.0].

Pre Laboratory Assignment [1.0 point]

1. Work out the algebra to solve for in equation (4) in the manual. Your equation for should be in terms of d, t,
C and C0. Check to see if you have done the algebra correctly, noting that setting C = C0 should yield = 1. You
will use this equation to calculate from measurements in step 4.

2. Please watch Electric Circuits Video tutorial