Make Your Own Capacitor
Watch this video about capacitors: http://goo.gl/uqxtWq
Now look at these photos of a 2200 µF capacitor disassembly:
Describe the contents of a capacitor:
Discuss with your group: what factors might affect the electric field between the plates of a
capacitor?
Using the following materials, design and make your own parallel plate
capacitor:
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Al foil
copy paper (8.5x11)
wax paper
shopping bag (polyethylene)
scissors
tape
meter stick
Capacitance will be your dependent variable -- what you will measure. Choose a factor to vary;
i.e., your dependent variable:
Using the additional equipment below, design a procedure to determine if and how the
capacitance depends on your chosen dependent variable.
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(2-4) D batteries & holders
Alligator wires
Voltage probe & Logger Pro
Resistor, 1M ohm
Record your data in a table and then plot capacitance vs. your dependent variable.
If needed, linearize your plot.
Include a best-fit straight line.
Draw a conclusion about any trends.