A parallel plate capacitor is charged by connecting it to a battery through a resistor. If $i$ is the current

Question

A parallel plate capacitor is charged by connecting it to a battery through a resistor. If $i$ is the current in the circuit, then in the gap between the plates:

Accepted Answer

1. **Concept:** Displacement current ($i_d$) is the current that comes into existence in a region where the electric field (and electric flux) is changing with time.
2. **Continuity:** According to Maxwell, the sum of conduction current ($i_c$) and displacement current ($i_d$) has the property of continuity along any closed path. Outside the capacitor plates, $i_d = 0$ and $i_c = i$. Inside the gap between the plates, $i_c = 0$ and $i_d$ exists.
3. **Magnitude and Direction:** To maintain continuity, the displacement current inside the capacitor must be equal in magnitude to the conduction current in the connecting wires ($i_d = i$). Furthermore, it flows in the same direction as the conduction current entering the positive plate and leaving the negative plate.
(Note: This topic is typically found in Class 12 Physics, Chapter 8 'Electromagnetic Waves', which is not included in the provided Class 11 Physics or Class 12 Chemistry sources).

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