Lecture 5: Capacitors &Capacitance Capacitor
Parallel Plates • Capacitor is a device that stores electrostatic
potential energy.
A
d • A capacitor consists of 2 spatially separated
conductors which can be charged to +Q and -Q.
Cylindrical Capacitor
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Capacitance Capacitance between Parallel Plates
• The capacitance is defined as the ratio of the charge • Calculate the capacitance. We assume +σ, -σ charge
on one conductor of the capacitor to the potential densities on each plate with potential difference V:
difference between the conductors.
A
++++
d
-----
• Capacitance is measured in Faradays represented
by the letter F which is equal to (coulomb/volt)
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1
Demo Example
What is the capacitance of a parallel plate
capacitor made out of two square plates 10
x10 cm2 separated by 1 mm wide gap?
Demo: Capacitance versus d
A=0.01 m2
d=1 mm
If we connect 1.5V battery to its plates, how
much charge could be stored in this capacitor?
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Energy stored in a capacitor Energy stored in a capacitor
Charging capacitor requires work:
1
Energy stored in a capacitor: PEcap = QΔV
2
ΔV
Alternative equations for energy stored in a capacitor
1
Q = CΔV PEcap = C ( ΔV )
2
Using
• must move charges from one plate to another through rising ΔV 2
• charging a capacitor involves work: W=q ΔV
• this work is equal to the energy stored in a capacitor Q Q2
Using ΔV = PEcap =
C 2C
1
Energy stored in a capacitor: PEcap = QΔV
2
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2
Demonstration: Energy Stored in a Capacitor Numbers
C P.S. 1 1
CV 2 = ( 70 µ F ) ( 5000 V ) = 875 J
2
PE =
2 2
Power supply (P.S.) supplies
voltage V.
1 About 200 J of this is sent through the
PEcap = CV 2 can produce a big jolt.
2 heart attack victim in 2 milliseconds.
Application: defibrillator A fibrillating heart is one PE 200 J
in which the cardiac muscles go into uncontrolled
P= = = 100 kW
t 2 × 10 −3 s
twitching and quivering. A defibrillator is used to
stop this. short time
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Equivalent Capacitors Capacitors in Parallel
a a Capacitors connected in parallel can be replaced with an
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q equivalent capacitor that has the same total charge, Q and the
V V same applied potential V.
C1 C2 C3 C
b a
b
Q1 Q2 Q3
a a V
+Q C1 C2 C3
-Q
+Q b
V +Q
-Q
C -Q
+Q
-Q
b
b
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3
Capacitors in Series Example 1
Capacitors are in series when a potential difference that is
o
applied across their combination is the sum of the resulting
potential differences across each capacitor.
C C C a b
o C
a
+Q
-Q
V +Q
-Q
+Q
-Q
b
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Dielectrics Dielectric Strength
• Empirical observation: Inserting a non-conducting *The maximum value of the electric field that a
material between the plates of a capacitor changes dielectric material can tolerate before breaking
the VALUE of the capacitance.
down.
• Definition:The dielectric constant of a material is
the ratio of the capacitance when filled with the
dielectric to that without it.
* It limits the voltage that can be applied to a
capacitor. The maximum voltage is called the
breakdown potential.
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4
Dielectric Properties Demo: Dielectrics & Capacitance
material κ dielectric strength –
++ –
(kV/mm) + –
++ –
–
air (1 atm) 1.00059 3 ++ –
–
paraffin 2.1–2.5 10 ++ –
–
–
glass (Pyrex) 5.6 14 + –
mica 5.4 10–100
polystyrene 2.55 24 E0
κ
H2O (200 C) 80 ?
titania ceramic 130
strontium 310 8 V E
V→ E→
titanate κ κ
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Effect of Dielectrics on the Electric Field Dielectric Combinations
real charge real charge
A
κ1
=
d/2
A
κ2 d/2
= A/2
κ1 d
A/2
κ2 d
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5
Energy stored in electric field
Electric field energy density:
1
u= Κε 0 E 2
2
Electric field energy is proportional to E2
This equation is true in general, for any electric field
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