So I set this up with three meters, two caps and a switch on the bench.
You have the switch open. You short out all the caps so everything is at 0V.
+------------+
| |
---- 0V ---- 0V
---- ----
| |
Gnd +----/ ------+
You charge up the capacitor on the left hand side, Gnd to the switch side, +10V to the wire common between the two capacitors.
You now have 10v across the left hand side cap, 0V across the right hand side cap,
and 10V over the switch terminals .
+------------+
| |
---- 10V ---- 0V
---- ----
| |
GND +----/ ------+
10V
Q1) How did that 10V measured over the switch get there
? My suggestion: as no charge has moved
across the capacitor, no current is moving so it can't be magnetic. So unless I want to add a new fundamental field
it must be electric field across the capacitor. This has caused charges to move around to balance out the electric field, until there is zero voltage gradient over the capacitor, resulting in 10V over the opened switch.
I've measured this all on the bench - there is 10V across the switch.
You close the switch a small spark is heard and the 10V of potential difference is now gone.
+------------+
| |
---- 5V ---- 5V
---- ----
| |
GND +------------+
0V
You now have 5V across both caps - and half the energy goes out of the system as heat.
What part am I missing?