r/PhysicsHelp

Imagine a charged capacitor with two plates, each connected to a wire. The wires aren't connected yet:

+----|  |----+
|            |
+-----  -----+   <- not connected yet

As far as I know, this is an equilibrium state, no charges will move, and the capacitor will stay charged.

But then you connect the wires, and everything changes. This is no longer a state of equilibrium, a current is created and the capacitor discharges.

Now here's the part that I don't understand: In the illustration, the geometry of the wires require the charges to move away from the other plate in order to reach it, and yet the charges do that. Which should be impossible for the same reason water in a glass doesn't jump out to fall on the floor.

If the wires were connected between the plates, then that's understandable. But in this case the wires are connected around the plates.

I want to understand from a field theory level (not circuit theory) how the charges seem to understand that gaining some potential energy to reach the other end is a small sacrifice towards a greater goal. But charges don't think! And if you calculate the electric field at a plate, it should always point towards the other, regardless whether the wires are connected or not. So the charges should stay there.

For context, I just finished Physics 2 in my first year in electrical engineering college, it only covers electrostatics, capacitors, and foundational magnetism like Faraday's law. I haven't taken the more advanced courses about circuits yet. This question has been lingering in my mind for quite some time, what am I missing here?

And please don't give me explanations with circuit theory elements, like "the wires have low resistance so current flows, but air has high resistance so current can't flow," that's not what I'm asking about. How did the fathers of electricity answer questions like these in order to reach conclusions and develop abstract frameworks like circuit theory in the first place?

As the title says, I want to help students with the basics. I usually struggle with simple concepts, so I think there are others who also take time to grasp things, and that's okay. I am willing to help with basic topics because I am a bachelor's student. I can help with anything related to studies, and of course, it's free.

Hello guys. I'm a begineer at Physics and I want to learn physics from scratch. I'm currently in 8th grade. Can someone recommend me which physics textbooks is good, but not require high levels math?

Terrestrial athletes competing in the Olympics on an alien planet having gravitational force half that of Earth would perform significantly differently in some disciplines from those on Earth. Which of the following statements about performance on the alien planet is NOT correct?

A) In the 200-meter backstroke, the time marked would be significantly higher

B) In pole vaulting, the height achieved would be significantly greater

C) In the hammer throw, the distance achieved would be significantly greater

D) In weightlifting, one could lift barbells of significantly greater mass

E) In a bicycle time trial, the time marked would be significantly less

Could someone explain this problem and also the other wrong choices?

I’m really struggling with it. ........

Thank you!!

I hate that idk any single thing like why tf we use Kinetic energy what is Kinetic energy why speed what is velocity I'm in class 11th pcb just started but I'm scared cuz I have adhd and i wanna learn everything from scratch I have too many questions and i wanna understand in simple as fuck launguage(not googoo gaga one)

Can anybody help me with physics I am actually bad with it cause I don't understand how to study physics where to start what to do I can't understand anything. I am in 10th and I hardly studied physics last year in 9th and now I finally know that I can't escape.

I was writing down some notes when I thought about this. assuming that the object is in uniform motion, also that it will come to a stop soon, just in a uniform speed.

say like a car going at 50kmh and gradually slows down

wont that be non uniform motion? but it’s going at 50kph and gradually slows down over a period of time

help pls

edit: thx for the answers, I seem like a idiot now TT this question sounded better in my head🫠

We all... lemme reframe that some of us know that when a metal surface is irradiated with radiation of sufficient high frequency electrons will be emitted from it. Now the frequency of the incident photons from the radiation determine the energy of the photoelectrons emitted from the metal surface and the intensity of the incident frequency only affects the number of photoelectrons that will be emitted provided f>=f⁰ \[frequency of the radiation is greater than or equal to the threshold frequency\] . All this is basic knowledge E=hf and hf=W⁰ + KE . Where is my main point my main point is thank you for reading js wanted to test if I understood the lecture lock in brothers and sister's peace

A body moving on a circular path undergoes uniform circular motion moving at a constant speed but not a constant velocity meaning the body is undergoing acceleration (a≠0) tangential velocity. Angular velocity is just how fast the body moved through a certain angle subtended at the centre and the angular displacement just the angle from point A to B on the trajectory. For me the concept is pretty much understood but the bulk formulas in this concept eat my head literally but I still have hopes

This class is so confusing like it is way fast and hard to digest. Today was my first day of school and I understand like scalar vs vector, and understand speed vs velocity, distance vs displacement. But next second we have 3 ugly ass equations, and it is explained briefly and we need to do a practice problem, which I half understood. Then there are some graphs and we need to know what it represents. Someone please provide the strategies on how they understood the information and how it all connects together. I don’t want to flunk the first exam and then learn my lesson, I want to have a structured approach from the get go.