According to Faraday's Law, what factor dictates the weight of material deposited on a cathode?

The weight of material deposited on a cathode is dictated by the quantity of electric charge passing through, according to Faraday's Law of Electrolysis. This law states that the amount of substance transformed at an electrode during electrolysis is directly proportional to the electric charge passed through the electrolyte. Essentially, as more electric charge flows, more ions migrate to the cathode and get deposited, leading to an increase in weight.

The relationship is quantified by Faraday's constant, which tells us how much charge is required to deposit a specific amount of material. This understanding is fundamental in applications like cathodic protection, where precise control of electrochemical processes is necessary to manage corrosion and protect metallic structures.

The other factors, such as the composition of the material and the temperature of the circuit, might influence the efficiency of the deposition process or the rate at which it occurs, but they do not govern the weight of the deposited material in the same quantitative manner that the electric charge does. The total voltage applied can affect the overall current and the speed of the process, but again, it is the quantity of charge that directly determines the amount of material deposited at the cathode.