Capacitors

What is a capacitor?
• Electronic component
• Two conducting surfaces separated by an insulating material
• Stores charge
• Uses
– Time delays
– Filters
– Tuned circuits
Capacitor construction
• Two metal plates
• Separated by insulating
material
• ‘Sandwich’ construction
• ‘Swiss roll’ structure
• Capacitance set by...

A
C=ε
d
 Defining capacitance
• ‘Good’ capacitors store a lot of charge…
• …when only a small voltage is applied
• Capacitance is charge stored per volt
• Capacitance is measured in farads F
– Big unit so nF, mF and µF are used

Q
C=
V
 Graphical representation

Equating to the equation of a straight line

Q Q Gradient term is
C= the capacitance
V of the capacitor
Charge stored is
Q = CV directly
proportional to

y = mx the applied
voltage
V
 Energy stored by a capacitor
• By general definition E=QV
– product of charge and voltage
• By graphical consideration...

Q
1
E = QV
2
Area term is
the energy
stored in the
V capacitor
 Other expressions for energy
• By substitution of Q=CV
1
E = QV
2
1
E = CV 2

2
2
1Q
E=
2 C
 Charging a capacitor
• Current flow
• Initially
I
– High
• Finally
– Zero
• Exponential model
• Charging factors
– Capacitance
– Resistance

t
 Discharging a capacitor
• Current flow
• Initially
t
– High
– Opposite to charging
• Finally
– Zero
• Exponential model
• Discharging factors
– Capacitance
– Resistance
I
 Voltage and charge characteristics

V V
or or
Q Q

t t
• Charging Discharging
−t −t
V = V0 (1 − e RC
) Q = Q0 e RC
 Time constant
• Product of
– Capacitance of the capacitor being charged
– Resistance of the charging circuit
– CR
• Symbol τ ‘Tau’
• Unit seconds

Q V
CR = ×
V Q ÷t
CR = t
 When t equals tau during discharge
• At t = tau the capacitor has
−t
Q = Q0 e RC fallen to 37% of its original
value.
• By a similar analysis tau can
− RC be considered to be the time
Q = Q0 e RC taken for the capacitor to
reach 63% of full charge.

−1
Q = Q0 e
Q = Q0 × 0.37
 Graphical determination of tau
• V at 37%
• Q at 37% V
• Compared to initial or
maximum discharge Q

t =τ
t = RC
C= t t
R
 Logarithmic discharge analysis
• Mathematical consideration of −t
discharge V = V0 e RC
• Exponential relationship
• Taking natural logs equates V −t
expression to ‘y=mx+c’ = e RC
• Gradient is -1/Tau V0
ln V − ln V0 = − t
RC
−1
ln V = t + ln V0
RC
 Logarithmic discharge graph

lnV

Gradient term
is the -1/Tau

t
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• Capacitors