Askiitians Tutor Team
Last Activity: 9 Months ago
To solve this problem, we need to consider both the electrostatic force between the charges on the capacitor plates and the restoring force of the spring.
### Given:
- The charge on each capacitor: \( q \)
- The force constant of the spring: \( k \)
- The area of each plate: \( A \)
- The permittivity of free space: \( \varepsilon_0 \)
The system is in equilibrium when the electrostatic repulsive force between the charges on the plates is balanced by the restoring force of the spring.
### Electrostatic Force:
The force between two charged plates of a capacitor is given by:
\[
F_{\text{elec}} = \frac{q^2}{2A \varepsilon_0}
\]
This is derived from the formula for the electric field between two plates of a parallel plate capacitor and the interaction of the charges on the plates.
### Spring Force:
The restoring force of the spring is given by Hooke's law:
\[
F_{\text{spring}} = kx
\]
where \( x \) is the extension in the spring.
### Equilibrium Condition:
At equilibrium, the electrostatic force equals the spring force:
\[
\frac{q^2}{2A \varepsilon_0} = kx
\]
Solving for \( x \):
\[
x = \frac{q^2}{2A \varepsilon_0 k}
\]
Thus, the extension in the spring at equilibrium is:
\[
x = \frac{q^2}{2A \varepsilon_0 k}
\]
### Final Answer:
The correct option is **A**:
\[
\frac{q^2}{2A \varepsilon_0 k}
\]