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A capacitor is made of two square plates each of side a making a very small angle α between them: the lower plate is horizontal and the upper plate is tilted upward through α, so that the gap is d at the left edge and d+α a at the right edge. The capacitance will be close to

Asked in JEE Main 8th Jan 2nd Shift 2020 · Capacitance of a conductor and a capacitor

Figure: Capacitance of a conductor and a capacitor
Answer: (3) (ε₀a²)/d(1-(α a)/(2d))

Step-by-step solution

Take a strip of width dx at a distance x from the narrow edge; its gap is d+α x and its area is a dx. Strips side by side are in parallel, so their capacitances add.

C=∫₀^a(ε₀a dx)/(d+α x)=(ε₀a)/α ln (1+(α a)/d).

For α a d, ln(1+u)≈ u-(u²)/2 with u=(α a)/d.

C≈(ε₀a)/α((α a)/d-(α²a²)/(2d²))=(ε₀a²)/d(1-(α a)/(2d)).

Why the other options are wrong

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