Cambridge (CIE) A Level Your notes

Physics
Capacitors & Capacitance
Contents
Capacitance
Capacitors in Series & Parallel
Calculating Capacitance in Series & Parallel

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 Capacitance
Your notes

Defining capacitance
Capacitors are electrical devices used to store energy
In electronic circuits, they are commonly used as a backup store of energy in case of
power failure
The circuit symbol for a parallel plate capacitor is two parallel lines

Capacitor circuit symbol

The circuit symbol for a capacitor consists of two parallel lines perpendicular to the wires
on either side
Capacitors possess capacitance, which is defined as:
The charge stored per unit potential
The greater the capacitance, the greater the charge stored on the capacitor
Capacitors come in different forms, such as:
isolated spherical conductors
parallel plates

Isolated spherical conductors

An isolated spherical conductor can store charge on its surface, which means it can act
as a capacitor
When the conducting sphere is connected to a high-voltage supply:
electrons move on to, or off of, the surface of the sphere
the remaining charges are of the same type, so they repel
the surface is conducting, allowing them to move and become evenly distributed
As the potential difference of the supply increases, the charge on the conductor also
increases
The capacitance of the sphere is equal to the ratio of the charge to the potential

Capacitance of an isolated spherical conductor

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 Your notes

Conducting spheres act like capacitors due to their ability to store charge on their
surfaces

Parallel plate capacitors

A parallel plate capacitor is made up of two conducting metal plates connected to a
voltage supply
The negative terminal of the voltage supply pushes electrons onto one plate,
making it negatively charged
The electrons are repelled from the opposite plate, making it positively charged
There is a dielectric between the plates which ensures charge does not flow freely
between the plates

Capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor

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 A parallel plate capacitor is made up of two conductive plates with opposite charges
building up on each plate
Your notes

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The ‘charge stored’ by a capacitor refers to the magnitude of the charge stored on
each plate in a parallel plate capacitor or on the surface of a spherical conductor. The
capacitor itself does not store charge.

Calculating capacitance
The capacitance of a capacitor is defined by the equation:

Q
C = V
Where:
C = capacitance (F)
Q = charge (C)
V = potential difference (V)
The unit of capacitance is the farad (F), where one farad is equivalent to one coulomb
per volt
In practice, 1 F, or 1 C V–1, is a very large unit
As a result, capacitance values are often quoted in microfarads (μF), nanofarads (nF)
or picofarads (pF)

A typical capacitor

A capacitor of capacitance 47 μF might typically be used in a simple circuit

For a parallel plate conductor, Q is the charge on the plates and V is the potential
difference across the capacitor

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 Note: The charge Q is not the charge of the capacitor itself, it is the charge stored
on the plates
This capacitance equation shows that an object’s capacitance is the ratio of the charge Your notes
on an object to its potential

Capacitance of a spherical conductor

The capacitance of an isolated spherical conductor is equal to the charge per unit
potential at the surface of the sphere
This is because the charge on the surface of a spherical conductor can be
considered as a point charge at its centre
The potential V of an isolated point charge is given by:

Q
V=
4 πε 0 R

Where:
R = radius of the sphere (m)
ε0 = permittivity of free space

Combining these equations gives an expression for the capacitance of an isolated

spherical conductor:

Q Q
V= =C
4 πε 0 R

C = 4π ε 0 R
Note: The charge Q is not the charge of the capacitor itself, it is the charge stored on the
surface of the spherical conductor

Worked Example
A parallel plate capacitor has a capacitance of 1 nF and is connected to a voltage
supply of 0.3 kV.
Calculate the charge on the plates.
Answer:
Step 1: Write down the known quantities
Capacitance, C = 1 nF = 1 × 10–9 F
Potential difference, V = 0.3 kV = 0.3 × 103 V
Step 2: Write out the equation for capacitance

Q
C = V

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Step 3: Rearrange for charge Q
Q = CV Your notes
Step 4: Substitute in values
Q = (1 × 10–9) × (0.3 × 103) = 3 × 10–7 C = 300 nC

Worked Example
Lightning can be simulated in a laboratory using an isolated metal sphere to
investigate electrical discharge.
A spherical conductor with a radius of 75 cm is charged to a potential of 1.5 MV.
Calculate the capacitance of the sphere, in pF.
Answer:
Step 1: List the known quantities
Radius of sphere, R = 75 cm = 75 × 10−2 m
Permittivity of free space, ε0 = 8.85 × 10−12 F m−1
Step 2: Write out the equation for the capacitance of a charged spherical
conductor
C = 4πε0R
Step 3: Calculate the capacitance
C = 4π × (8.85 × 10−12) × (75 × 10−2)
C = 8.34 × 10−11 F = 83 pF (2 s.f.)

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The letter ‘C’ is used both as the symbol for capacitance as well as the unit of charge
(coulombs). Take care not to confuse the two!

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 Capacitors in Series & Parallel
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Capacitors in series & parallel

The combined capacitance of capacitors in a circuit depends on whether they are
connected in series or parallel

Capacitors in series
Consider two parallel plate capacitors C1 and C2 connected in series, with a potential
difference (p.d) V across them

Potential difference of capacitors in series

Capacitors connected in series have different p.d across them but have the same charge
In a series circuit, p.d. is shared between all the components in the circuit
Therefore, if the capacitors store the same charge on their plates but have different
p.d.s, the p.d across C1 is V1 and across C2 is V2
The total potential difference V is the sum of V1 and V2
V = V1 + V2
Rearranging the capacitance equation for the p.d. V means V1 and V2 can be written as:

Q Q
V1 = C1
and V
2
= C2

Where the total p.d. V is defined by the total capacitance

Q
V = Ctotal

Substituting these into the equation V = V1 + V2 equals:

Q Q Q
Ctotal
= C1
+ C2

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 Since the current is the same through all components in a series circuit, the charge Q is
the same through each capacitor and cancels out
Your notes
Therefore, the equation for the combined capacitance of capacitors in series is:

1 1 1 1
Ctotal
= C1
+ C2
+ C3
.....

Capacitors in parallel
Consider two parallel plate capacitors C1 and C2 connected in parallel, each with p.d, V

Potential difference of capacitors in parallel

Capacitors connected in parallel have the same p.d across them, but different charge
Since the current is split across each junction in a parallel circuit, the charge stored on
each capacitor is different
Therefore, the charge on capacitor C1 is Q1 and on C2 is Q2
The total charge Q is the sum of Q1 and Q2
Q = Q1 + Q2
Rearranging the capacitance equation for the charge Q means Q1 and Q2 can be written
as:
Q1 = C1V and Q2 = C2V
Where the total charge Q is defined by the total capacitance:
Q = CtotalV
Substituting these into the Q = Q1 + Q2 equals:
CtotalV = C1V + C2V = (C1 + C2) V

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Since the p.d is the same across all components in each branch of a parallel circuit, the
p.d V cancels out
Your notes
Therefore, the equation for the combined capacitance of capacitors in parallel is:
Ctotal = C1 + C2 + C3 ...

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Make sure you learn the equation for the combined capacitance of capacitors in both
series and parallel circuits. Both the combined capacitance equations look similar to
the equations for combined resistance in series and parallel circuits. However, take
note that they are the opposite way around to each other!

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Calculating Capacitance in Series & Parallel
Your notes

Calculating capacitance in series and

parallel
Like resistors, capacitors can be combined in series and parallel
Often, circuits may contain combinations of capacitors in both series and parallel
arrangements
In a series arrangement:
the reciprocal of the combined capacitance is equal to the sum of the reciprocals of
the individual capacitances
the combined capacitance of two identical capacitors is equal to half of the value of
each one
the combined capacitance is always less than the value of the smallest individual
capacitance
In a parallel arrangement:
the combined capacitance is equal to the sum of all the individual capacitances
the combined capacitance of two identical capacitors is equal to twice the value of
each one
the combined capacitance is always greater than the value of the any individual
capacitance

Worked Example
Three capacitors with capacitance of 23 μF, 35 μF and 40 μF are connected as shown
below.

Calculate the total capacitance between points A and B.

Answer:

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Step 1: Calculate the combined capacitance of the two capacitors in parallel
To calculate capacitance in parallel: Your notes
Ctotal = C1 + C2 + C3 …
Cparallel = 23 + 35 = 58 μF
Step 2: Connect this combined capacitance with the final capacitor in series
To calculate capacitance in series:
1 1 1 1
Ctotal
= C1
+ C2
+ C3
.....
1 1 1 49
Ctotal
= 58
+ 40
= 1160

Step 3: Rearrange for the total capacitance

1160
Ctotal = 49
= 23. 673 ... = 24 μF ( 2 s. f . )

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