What happens when a source voltage is supplied to an uncharged capacitor?

What happens when a source voltage is supplied to an uncharged capacitor?

• A. An electric field develops building a charge between the two plates
• B. The capacitor becomes instantly charged to maximum
• C. No current flows
• D. The capacitor acts as a short circuit

Answer: (A)

When you connect a voltage source to an uncharged capacitor, the source creates an electric field between the plates as charges begin to separate. One plate gains positive charge and the other gains negative charge, establishing a potential difference across the capacitor that grows toward the source voltage. This charging process involves a current, which flows while the field builds up and then dies away once the plate voltages match the source. In an ideal zero-resistance path, the capacitor would appear like a short at the very instant, but in any real circuit there is some resistance, so charging takes time. This is why the key effect is the formation of an electric field and the corresponding build-up of charge between the plates.

When you connect a voltage source to an uncharged capacitor, the source creates an electric field between the plates as charges begin to separate. One plate gains positive charge and the other gains negative charge, establishing a potential difference across the capacitor that grows toward the source voltage. This charging process involves a current, which flows while the field builds up and then dies away once the plate voltages match the source. In an ideal zero-resistance path, the capacitor would appear like a short at the very instant, but in any real circuit there is some resistance, so charging takes time. This is why the key effect is the formation of an electric field and the corresponding build-up of charge between the plates.