Scribd
Upload
14 views16 pages

Understanding Capacitors and Capacitance

Capacitors store energy in electrical circuits by holding equal and opposite charges on two plates separated by a dielectric. The capacitance, measured in Farads, indicates the charge stored per unit potential difference, and energy is released when the capacitor discharges. All bodies have capacitance, and even individuals can become charged, leading to discharges when touching earthed objects.

Uploaded by

paulus.teti
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
14 views16 pages

Understanding Capacitors and Capacitance

Capacitors store energy in electrical circuits by holding equal and opposite charges on two plates separated by a dielectric. The capacitance, measured in Farads, indicates the charge stored per unit potential difference, and energy is released when the capacitor discharges. All bodies have capacitance, and even individuals can become charged, leading to discharges when touching earthed objects.

Uploaded by

paulus.teti
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Capacitance

A2 Level
Use of Capacitor
• Capacitors are used to store energy in electrical and electronic
circuits.
• Capacitor store energy in normal use, and then they gradually release
this energy if there is a power failure
• Every capacitor has two leads, each connected to a metal plate. To
store energy, these two plates must be given equal and opposite
electric charges.
• Between the plates is an insulating material called the dielectric.
Use of Capacitor
• To move charge onto the plates of a
capacitor, it must be connected to a
voltage supply.
• The negative terminalof the supply
pushes electrons onto one plate,
making itnegatively charged.
• Electrons are repelled from the other
plate, making it positively charged.
• The current stops when the potential
difference (p.d.) across the capacitor is
equal to the electromotive force
(e.m.f.) of the supply.
Charges on the plates
• Connecting the capacitor to a power supply will make each plate has
equal amount but opposite charges.
• The total charge on the capacitor is zero.
• When we talk about the ‘charge stored’ by a capacitor, we mean the
quantity Q, the magnitude of the charge stored on each plate.
• A charged capacitor connected to a device it will discharged.
Charges on the plates
• In any circuit, the charge that flows past a point in a given time is
equal to the area under a current–time graph.
• The magnitude of the charge on the plates in a capacitor is given by
the area under the current–time graph recorded while the capacitor
is being charged up.
Capacitance
• The capacitance of a capacitor is the charge stored on one plate per
unit of potential difference between the plates.
• The greater the capacitance, the greater is the charge on the
capacitor plates for a given potential difference across it.
• The unit of Capacitance is Farad (F)
Energy in a capacitor
• When a capacitor charged, electrons pushed onto one plate and off
the other.
• The power supply does work on the electrons, so the potential energy
of the capacitor increases.
• When capacitor discharged its potential energy decreases
Energy in a capacitor
• In order to charge a capacitor, work must be done to push electrons onto one
plate and off the other
• The amount of work is proportional to the amount of the charge on the plate
Energy
stored in
Capacitor
Energy stored in Capacitor
Capacitors in Parallel
Capacitor in series
Capacitor vs Resistor
Sharing charge, sharing energy
Capacitance of isolated body
• It is not just capacitors that have capacitance – all bodies have
capacitance.
• For example, in dry conditions, you may become charged up, perhaps
by rubbing against a synthetic fabric.
• Discharging yourself by touching an earthed metal object would
produce a spark.
Capacitance of isolated body

You might also like