In electrocapacitive keyboards, each key holds a small metal plate that serves as one plate of a parallel-plate, air-filled capacitor. When the key is depressed, the plate separation decreases, and the capacitance increases. Electronic circuitry detects the change in capacitance and thus detects that the key has been pressed. In this case, the area of each metal plate is 42.0 mm2, and the separation between the plates is 0.700 mm before the key is depressed. (a) Calculate the capacitance before the key is depressed. (b) If the circuitry can detect a change in capacitance of 0.250 pF, how far must the key be depressed before the circuitry detects its depression?

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
5th Edition
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Chapter20: Electric Potential And Capacitance
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In electrocapacitive keyboards, each key holds a small metal plate that serves as one plate of a parallel-plate, air-filled capacitor. When the key is depressed, the plate separation decreases, and the capacitance increases. Electronic circuitry detects the change in capacitance and thus detects that the key has been pressed. In this case, the area of each metal plate is 42.0 mm2, and the separation between the plates is 0.700 mm before the key is depressed. (a) Calculate the capacitance before the key is depressed. (b) If the circuitry can detect a change in capacitance of 0.250 pF, how far must the key be depressed before the circuitry detects its depression?

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