🔍 Key Concepts

• Capacitor plates and charge distribution – where the actual electric charges (electrons) reside • Electric field between the plates – how energy is stored in a capacitor • Difference between location of charge and location of stored energy

💭 Think About

• Think about what physically sits on the metal plates versus what exists in the insulating space (dielectric) between them. • When you charge a capacitor, where do the extra electrons accumulate, and where is the energy of the capacitor actually stored? • Are the charge location and the energy-storage mechanism necessarily the same thing, or can they be described separately?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on the difference between electric charge (on conductors) and electric field (in the space between them). • Recall that in a capacitor, the plates are conductors and the space between them is usually an insulator (dielectric). • Ask yourself whether the exam is asking specifically about where the charge is stored or how the capacitor stores energy.