This Week's Puzzle

This assignment is due before 9 AM, Friday, October 13th, 2000.



  • Puzzle solutions are due by 9:00 AM on Friday of each week.
  • Puzzles are worth 5 points of extra credit each.
  • Answers must be accompanied by valid reasoning. Just like the tests, the answer alone isn't enough!
  • Each week, the first student to submit a correct answer will recieve the stylish 251 T-shirt.
  • Previous winners get a "virtual t-shirt." No shirt, but a chance to win a prize with actual value at the end of the semester (often a book, or maybe software).
  • Please enter your solution in the text area at the bottom of this page. DON'T FORGET TO GIVE YOUR NAME!

"Stuffed Capacitor"

Consider the figures above. On the left, is a plain parallel plate capacitor (area = A, gap = d). On the right is a system consisting of the same capacitor with a metal plate inserted into the gap. Assume the thickness of the plate is d/2. How will the new capacitance compare with the old?

Don't forget to explain your answer as clearly as possible.


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