Consider the circuit shown in the figure. The switch S is open for a long time and subsequently closed. Find the heat developed within the system.

Step-by-step solution

When the switch S is open, the two capacitors are in series. The equivalent capacitance is C_ eq = C 2 . The initial charge on the left capacitor is q_i = C_ eq E = C E 2 . The initial energy stored in the system is U_i = 1 2 C_ eq E ^2 = C E ^2 4 . When the switch S is closed, the right capacitor is short-circuited. The left capacitor is now directly connected across the battery. The final charge on the left capacitor is q_f = C E . The final energy stored in the system is U_f = 1 2 C E ^2 . The charge supplied by