File:VFPt capacitor-round-plate.svg

Summary

Description
English: Electric field of simple parallel plate capacitor. The capacitor consists of two round plates. The field is accurately computed for a uniform charge distribution on each plate, but therefore the potential on each plate is not exactly constant.
Date
Source Own work
Author Geek3
Other versions

Slightly different field configurations:

SVG development
InfoField
Source code
InfoField

Python code

# paste this code at the end of VectorFieldPlot 1.6
doc = FieldplotDocument('VFPt_capacitor-round-plate', width=800, height=600, commons=True)
l = 4.5
d = 1.5
plates = [{'x0':-l/2., 'y0':d/2., 'x1':l/2., 'y1':d/2., 'Q':1.},
          {'x0':-l/2., 'y0':-d/2., 'x1':l/2., 'y1':-d/2., 'Q':-1.}]
field = Field({'charged_discs':
    [[p['x0'], p['y0'], p['x1'], p['y1'], p['Q']] for p in plates]})

def startpath(t):
    # take an oval with stright lines and half-cirles around one plate
    tt = (t%1) * (2 * l + pi * d)
    if tt <= l*0.5:
        return sc.array([tt, d])
    elif tt <= l*0.5 + pi/2.*d:
        phi = (tt - l*0.5) / (d/2.)
        return sc.array([l*0.5 + d*0.5*sin(phi), d*0.5 + d*0.5*cos(phi)])
    elif tt <= l*1.5 + pi/2.*d:
        return sc.array([l - (tt - pi/2.*d), 0.])
    elif tt <= l*1.5 + pi*d:
        phi = (tt - l*1.5) / (d/2.)
        return sc.array([-l*0.5 + d*0.5*sin(phi), d*0.5 + d*0.5*cos(phi)])
    else:
        return sc.array([tt - (l*2. + pi*d), d])
dstartpath = lambda t: (startpath(t+1e-6) - startpath(t-1e-6)) / 2e-6
FieldSum = lambda t0, t1: ig.quad(lambda t:
    sc.cross(field.F(startpath(t)), dstartpath(t)), t0, t1)[0]
Ftotal = FieldSum(0, 1)
def startpos(s):
    t = op.brentq(lambda t: FieldSum(0, t) / Ftotal - s, 0, 1)
    return startpath(t)

# plot field lines
n = 22
for i in range(n):
    p0 = startpos((0.5 + i) / n)
    line = FieldLine(field, p0, directions='both')
    doc.draw_line(line, arrows_style={'dist':2, 'min_arrows':1})

# plot round plates
D = 0.055
lw = 0.01
nsign = n
plus = 'M 0,-0.02 v 0.04 M -0.02,0 h 0.04'
minus = 'M -0.02,0 h 0.04'
defs = doc.draw_object('g', {})
grad = doc.draw_object('linearGradient', {'id':'grad',
    'x1':str(l/2.), 'x2':str(-l/2.), 'y1':'0', 'y2':'0',
    'gradientUnits':'userSpaceOnUse'}, defs)
for o, c, a in ((0, '#000', 0.3), (0.3, '#999', 0.2),
                (0.8, '#fff', 0.25), (1, '#fff', 0.65)):
    doc.draw_object('stop', {'id':'grad',
         'offset':str(o), 'stop-color':c, 'stop-opacity':str(a)}, grad)

for p in plates:
    M = 0.5 * (sc.array([p['x0'], p['y0']]) + sc.array([p['x1'], p['y1']]))
    R = sc.array([p['x1'], p['y1']]) - M
    a = atan2(R[1], R[0])
    if p['Q'] > 0:
        col = '#f00'
        sign = plus
    else:
        col = '#12f'
        sign = minus
    transform = 'translate({:.6g},{:.6g})'.format(M[0], M[1])
    transform += ' rotate({:.6g})'.format(degrees(a))
    doc.draw_object('rect', {'x':-vabs(R)-lw/2., 'width':2*vabs(R)+lw,
        'y':-D, 'height':2*D, 'transform':transform,
        'style':'fill:{:s}; stroke:none'.format(col)})
    doc.draw_object('rect', {'x':-vabs(R)-lw/2., 'width':2*vabs(R)+lw,
        'y':-D, 'height':2*D, 'transform':transform,
        'style':'fill:url(#grad); stroke:#000; stroke-width:{:.6g}'.format(lw)})
    for i in range(nsign):
        pos = M + R * (2 * (i + 0.5) / nsign - 1)
        doc.draw_object('path', {'d':sign,
        'transform':'translate({:.6g},{:.6g})'.format(*pos),
        'style':'fill:none; stroke:#000; stroke-width:{:.6g}; '.format(2*lw) +
        'stroke-linecap:square'})

doc.write()

Licensing

I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license:
w:en:Creative Commons
attribution share alike
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
You are free:
  • to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
  • to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
  • attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original.
Category:CC-BY-SA-4.0#VFPt%20capacitor-round-plate.svgCategory:Self-published work
Category:Parallel plate capacitors Category:Electric field lines in capacitors Category:Capacitor diagrams Category:Photos by User:Geek3 Category:VFPt electric and magnetic fields (image set)
Category:CC-BY-SA-4.0 Category:Capacitor diagrams Category:Electric field lines in capacitors Category:Parallel plate capacitors Category:Photos by User:Geek3 Category:Self-published work Category:VFPt electric and magnetic fields (image set) Category:Valid SVG created with VectorFieldPlot code