Discharged state identification: immediately after being fully discharged and left at equilibrium, what charge condition best describes the plates of an ideal capacitor?

Introduction / Context:
Understanding the “discharged” condition helps with safe handling, measurement, and modeling initial conditions in transient analysis. This item asks what the plate charges are when an ideal capacitor has been fully discharged and allowed to settle.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Ideal capacitor model without dielectric absorption (DA) or leakage artifacts.
• Fully discharged via a low-impedance path to equalize potentials.
• Measurement after equilibrium is reached.

Concept / Approach:
In the ideal model, discharging removes the separated charge that created the electric field. With both plates at the same potential, there is no electric field in the dielectric; hence no stored energy and no separated plate charge. The device’s net charge is effectively zero, and so is the charge on each plate in this simplified view.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Energy check: U = 0.5 * C * V^2; with V = 0, stored energy is zero, consistent with no separated charge.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Unequal/equal-opposite charges imply a nonzero field; “only negative charge” is nonsensical; “always a small DC charge” confuses real-world dielectric absorption with the ideal model used here.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming DA “memory” is always present; ideal textbook questions typically ignore DA unless stated.

Final Answer:
No charge on either plate (zero net and zero separated charge)