Displacement current goes through the gap between the plates of a capacitor when the charge of the capacitor is
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → increasing or decreasing
The displacement current is \( I_d = \varepsilon_0\,d\Phi_E/dt \), where \( \Phi_E \) is the electric flux between the plates. It exists whenever the electric field in the gap is changing. The field between the plates is proportional to the charge on them, so it changes whenever the charge changes, in either direction.
NCERT (2026-27):
Displacement Current – “… Now if the charge Q on the capacitor plates changes with time, there is a current i = (dQ/dt), so that using Eq. (8.3), we have
\( \displaystyle \frac{d\Phi_E}{dt} = \frac{d}{dt}\left(\frac{Q}{\varepsilon_0}\right) = \frac{1}{\varepsilon_0}\frac{dQ}{dt} \)”
Displacement Current – “… The current, given by Eq. (8.4), is a new term, and is due to changing electric field (or electric displacement, an old term still used sometimes). It is, therefore, called displacement current or Maxwell’s displacement current.”