I have some conceptual questions regarding capacitors and dipole antennas.
Consider a parallel plate capacitor made with two conducting plates, initially uncharged. If I connect each plate to a different terminal of the battery, charge will start to flow from one plate to another.
Consider also a dipole antenna that consists of two conducting rods connected to both terminals of an AC (alternating current) supply. In this case, current will also flow from one rod to the other one through the battery, and both rods will become charged with charges of opposite sign, but, since the power supply supplies AC, the signs of each rod will alternate in time.
My questions are, basically:
1) Is there a connection between the charging up of a capacitor and the dipole antenna? It seems so, because both consist of a power supply that, when connected two conducting objects, charges up both conductors with equal charges of opposite sign.
2) Why exactly does charge flow from a plate (in the case of the capacitor) or rod (in the case of the dipole antenna) to the other one? For the case of capacitors, the book that I'm reading only mentions that it is because "the plates are equipotential", but I'm not sure why this would force charges to flow from one plate to the other. For the case of antennas, the book doesn't give any further clarification.
3) What is special about a capacitor that makes it different from an open circuit? Suppose I connect two copper wires to the terminals of a battery, but I don't close the circuit. Will both wires get equal charges of opposite polarities, like a capacitor?
Thank you in advance.
Consider a parallel plate capacitor made with two conducting plates, initially uncharged. If I connect each plate to a different terminal of the battery, charge will start to flow from one plate to another.
Consider also a dipole antenna that consists of two conducting rods connected to both terminals of an AC (alternating current) supply. In this case, current will also flow from one rod to the other one through the battery, and both rods will become charged with charges of opposite sign, but, since the power supply supplies AC, the signs of each rod will alternate in time.
My questions are, basically:
1) Is there a connection between the charging up of a capacitor and the dipole antenna? It seems so, because both consist of a power supply that, when connected two conducting objects, charges up both conductors with equal charges of opposite sign.
2) Why exactly does charge flow from a plate (in the case of the capacitor) or rod (in the case of the dipole antenna) to the other one? For the case of capacitors, the book that I'm reading only mentions that it is because "the plates are equipotential", but I'm not sure why this would force charges to flow from one plate to the other. For the case of antennas, the book doesn't give any further clarification.
3) What is special about a capacitor that makes it different from an open circuit? Suppose I connect two copper wires to the terminals of a battery, but I don't close the circuit. Will both wires get equal charges of opposite polarities, like a capacitor?
Thank you in advance.