Capacitance
One goal of physics is to provide the basic science for practical devices designed by engineers.
Capacitors, are devices in which electrical energy can be stored.
Two isolated conductors of any shape. No matter what their geometry, flat or not, we call these
conductors plates.
Conventional arrangement, called a parallel-plate capacitor, consisting of two parallel conducting
plates of area A separated by a distance d.
When a capacitor is charged, its plates have charges of equal magnitudes but opposite signs: q and
q. However, we refer to the charge of a capacitor as being q, the absolute value of these charges
on the plates. (Note that q is not the net charge on the capacitor, which is zero.)
The charge q and the potential difference V for a capacitor are proportional to each other; that is,
q C V (1)
Capacitors in Parallel
“in parallel” means that the capacitors are directly wired together at one plate and directly
wired together at the other plate, and that the same potential difference U is applied across the
two groups of wired-together plates
Thus, each capacitor has the same potential difference U.
+q1 C1 +q2 C2 +q3 C3 +q Ceq
E U1 U2 U3 E U
-q1 -q2 -q3 -q
Capacitors connected in parallel can be replaced with an equivalent capacitor that has the same
total charge q and the same potential difference V as the actual capacitors
To derive an expression for Ceq , we first use (1) to find the charge on each actual capacitor:
q1 C1 V1 , q2 C2 V2 and q3 C3 V3
With V1 V2 V3 V
The total charge on the parallel combination is then:
q q1 q2 q3
And q C1 C2 C3 V
1
Capacitance
The equivalent capacitance, with the same total charge q and applied potential difference V as the
q
combination, is then: Ceq
V
And C eq C1 C 2 C 3
a result that we can easily extend to any number n of capacitors, as
n
Ceq Ck (2)
i 1
(n capacitors in parallel).
Capacitors in Series
When a potential difference V is applied across several capacitors connected in series, the
capacitors have identical charge q.
The sum of the potential differences across all the capacitors is equal to the applied potential
difference V.
U1 U2 U3 U
+q1 -q1 +q2 -q2 +q -q
C1 +q3 -q3
C2 C3 Ceq
E E
Here are two important points about capacitors in series:
1. When charge is shifted from one capacitor to another in a series of capacitors, it can move
along only one route,
2. The battery directly produces charges on only the two plates to which it is connected. Charges
that are produced on the other plates are due merely to the shifting of charge already there.
Capacitors that are connected in series can be replaced with an equivalent capacitor that
has the same charge q and the same total potential difference V as the actual series capacitors
To derive an expression for Ceq , we first use (1) to find the charge on each actual capacitor:
q1 q2 q3
V1 , V2 and V3
C1 C2 C3
With : q q1 q2 q3
2
Capacitance
The total potential difference V due to the battery is the sum of these three potential differences.
Thus: V V1 V2 V3
q q q 1 1 1
Then V so V q
C1 C2 C3 C1 C2 C3
q q
The equivalent capacitance is then Ceq and V
V Ceq
1 1 1 1
So
Ceq C1 C2 C3
We can easily extend this to any number n of capacitors as
n
1 1
(3)
Ceq i 1 Ck
With two capacitors in series we have
1 1 1 C1 C2
and Ceq
Ceq C1 C2 C1 C2
Electric charge divided in two parallel capacitors:
The total charge on the parallel combination is then:
q q1 q2
With : V1 V2
q1 q2
We first use (1) V1 and V2
C1 C2
q1 q2
then V and V
C1 C2
we get the equation systems
q1 q 2 q
q (1)
1 q2 the solution of this system is:
C1 C 2 ( 2)
C1
q1 q (4)
C1 C2
q is the total charge and q1 is the partial charge.
C2
and q2 q
C1 C2
3
Capacitance
Potential divided in two series capacitors:
The total potential due to the battery is the sum of these two potential differences.
Thus: V V1 V2
With : q1 q2
we first use (1) q1 C1 V1 and q2 C2 V2
then q C1 V1 and q C2 V2
we get the equation systems
V1 V2 V (1)
the solution of this system is:
C1 V1 C 2 V2 ( 2)
C2
V1 V (5)
C1 C2
V is the total potential difference and V1 is the partial potential difference.
C1
and V2 V
C1 C2