alleryStart learning →If the plate area of a parallel-plate capacitor is doubled while the plate separation stays the same, how does the capacitance change?
AIt is cut in half
BIt quadruples in size
CIt stays unchanged
DIt doubles in size
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. It doubles in size
1. Capacitance C = epsilon_0 A / d is directly proportional to the plate area A.
2. Doubling A while holding d fixed multiplies C by that same factor of 2.
3. So the capacitance doubles in size, the opposite of the inverse relationship that governs plate separation.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 18 "Static Electricity", section 18.5 Capacitors and Dielectrics_
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