Engineering and fabrication
Is a metal Conductive rate relative to its storage ability in a capacitor as an electrode?
I have made four leyden jars with 4 different types of metals as electrodes. Does that certain metal's conductivity relate to how much the leyden jar will store and how?
Public Comments
- Be careful and don't knock yourself out with the Leyden jars. I believe the conductivity will simply determine how fast the capacitor charges and discharges.
Q = CV gives how much voltage it takes to put Q amount of charge, but this equation breaks down for large voltages. The capacitor will spark across the plates and pop or explode. Large is relative to the capacitor/dielectric material. Another non-ideal property is some capacitors can only be inserted one way. One of the plates has to be positive while the other is negative (polarized capacitor), so there is an asymmetry in them that is not at all reflected in the equations.
How much the Leyden jar stores is related to how much charge separation they can handle, and I believe that depends on the electronegativity of the plates and how much the dielectric can handle before breakdown.
This is a great experiment. The maximum charge a capacitor can store and the capacitance are not directly related to each other though.
- In the example you state, there should not be any difference in capacitance.
