I have a conceptual doubt concerning capacitors.
Suppose that I connect the terminals of a resistor to a charged capacitor, so that current will flow through the resistor.
Usually, in calculations involving capacitors, the electric field outside the capacitor is taken to be zero, because it is negligible (even though in a real parallel-plate capacitor, the external electric field is not zero, because the plates are not infinite).
My doubt is: if the external electric field of the capacitor is negligible, why does the capacitor cause current to flow through the resistor?
I guess that, if the external electric field of the capacitor was exactly zero, then no current would flow through the resistor, even though the capacitor is charged. Is this reasoning correct?
Suppose that I connect the terminals of a resistor to a charged capacitor, so that current will flow through the resistor.
Usually, in calculations involving capacitors, the electric field outside the capacitor is taken to be zero, because it is negligible (even though in a real parallel-plate capacitor, the external electric field is not zero, because the plates are not infinite).
My doubt is: if the external electric field of the capacitor is negligible, why does the capacitor cause current to flow through the resistor?
I guess that, if the external electric field of the capacitor was exactly zero, then no current would flow through the resistor, even though the capacitor is charged. Is this reasoning correct?