As illustrated in the figure, each plate possesses a surface area of (96/ ₀) 10⁻¹² F-m on a single side, and the gap separating consecutive plates is 4.0 mm . The connected battery provides an emf of 10 V . Calculate the magnitude of the charge delivered by the battery to each of the plates linked to it.

Step-by-step solution

Let the four plates be numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 from left to right. From the given circuit diagram: Plate 1 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery, so its potential is V₁ = 10 V . Plate 3 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery, so its potential is V₃ = 0 V . Plates 2 and 4 are connected to each other by a wire, forming an isolated system. Let their common potential be V₂ = V₄ = V' . The arrangement forms three identical capacitors between the consecutive pairs of plates: C₁₂ , C₂₃ , and C