AAMC FL Practice Exam

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Study for the AAMC FL Exam. Prepare with comprehensive flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each equipped with hints and explanations. Gear up for your medical school entrance exam!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What happens to current flow in a capacitor during discharging?

It flows towards the positive plate
It flows away from the negative plate
It flows towards the negative plate
It ceases entirely

The correct answer is: It flows towards the negative plate

During the discharging process of a capacitor, the current flows from the positive plate to the negative plate. This happens because the stored energy in the capacitor causes the charges to move. When a capacitor discharges, the excess positive charge on one plate moves towards the plate with excess negative charge, creating a current flow. The concept behind this current flow is rooted in the nature of electric charge and potential difference. As the positive charges on one plate attempt to neutralize the negative charges on the opposite plate, the result is that current flows towards the negative plate. This movement continues until the charge on both plates is equalized, at which point the capacitor is fully discharged. The other options describe incorrect scenarios regarding charge movement during discharging. Current does not cease entirely; it flows continuously until the discharge is complete. The concepts of current moving solely towards the positive plate or away from the negative plate do not accurately represent the behavior of charge flow in a capacitor during its discharge phase.