A parallel-plate capacitor features plates of unequal area. The larger plate is linked to a battery's positive terminal, while the smaller plate is linked to its negative terminal. Assuming Q_+ and Q_- denote the charges that appear on the positive and negative plates respectively, what is the relationship between them?

Step-by-step solution

When a capacitor is connected across a battery, the battery acts as a charge pump. It removes electrons from one plate and transfers an equal number of electrons to the other plate. By the principle of conservation of charge, the total charge of the system remains zero if it was initially uncharged. The magnitude of the positive charge appearing on one plate is exactly equal to the magnitude of the negative charge appearing on the other plate. This equality of charge magnitudes holds true regardless of the shape, s