Question

A parallel plate capacitor C has a charge Q. The actual charges on its plates are

• A. Q, Q
• B. Q/2, Q/2
• C. Q, -Q
• D. Q/2, -Q/2

Hint:

In a capacitor, the charges on the two plates are always equal in magnitude and opposite in sign.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

In a parallel plate capacitor, the charges on the two plates are equal in magnitude but opposite in sign due to the nature of electric charge conservation. One plate gets a positive charge and the other a negative charge. If the total charge on the capacitor is \( Q \), then the charges on the plates must be \( +Q \) and \( -Q \) respectively.

Hence, the correct answer is (c).