3. Assuming that they have arranged the set-up correctly, what should they show the class as a
proof that electrolysis is indeed taking place?
Answers
Explanation:
The capacitor in its conventional form is constructed from two electrically conducting metallic plates facing each other and separated by an electrically insulating medium.
Applying DC voltage on the capacitor no conduction current flows through the capacitor if its insulating medium is perfect insulator. This is because ther are no free charge carriers in such medium. Practically the real insulator contains very few charge carriers and therefore a very small leakage current passes in the capacitor depending on the conductivity of the insulator. The ideal insulating medium is the vacuum as noted by Prof. Shmaliy above.
On the other side ,If a time varying voltage is applied on the capacitor, a displacement current passes through the capacitor irrespective of the insulating medium. This current is termed also the capacitive current. It flows because of changing electric displacement D with time. The displacement current density is = The rate of change of the displacement with time. The electric displacement itself D= epsilon *E where epsilon is the dielectric constant and E is the electric field intensity. So if the applied voltage varies with time the E will be also time varying and also D and displacement capacitive current will be existing.