(2)

A capacitor is an electrical component that stores energy. Capacitors are used within the
system because it is used as a reservoir to hold a reasonable amount of electricity. The larger
the capacitor the greater the charge stored in it.

In experiment 3, the values of capacitance that were used were 15, 30, 50 and 65 µF. The
systems with larger capacitance exhibited larger power factor values as compared to the
systems with lower capacitance, with the exception of the system which had a capacitance of
50 µF. This system recorded the highest power factor value for this experiment. The Circuit
diagram from experiment 3 was modified from the circuit diagram from experiment 2 with the
additions of a 15µF and a 50µF capacitor connected separately, both in parallel and then in
series. Due to this change in the system, the power factor value increased in each different
arrangement for C1, C2, C3 and C4.

In the circuit where the 30 µF capacitor was used, the power factor was found to be less than
the power factor in the circuit where both capacitors were in series. This is due to the
capacitors in parallel increasing its capacitance since it is added, compared to the capacitance
of capacitors in series hence its power factor value increasing. The other two (2) circuits were
the capacitors connected alone, the power factor reading were in between the power factor
values of C1 and C4.When compared to the circuit diagram in experiment 2, the circuit diagram
in experiment 3, with the inclusion of the capacitors with their respective values, showed a
significant increase in the power factor values in the circuit.

Generally, if there is too much capacitance within a system, then too much charge would be
present. Too much capacitance would cause a low power factor as it would oppose the
inductive element hence acting as a capacitive impedence. This increases the total impedence
of the circuit which would lead to problems. So, where capacitors along with high power factor
readings are obtained e.g. residential or commercial systems, power factor correction is utilized
to avoid hazards. This would cause the current to lead the voltage and cause the power factor
value to decrease which would in turn cause the phase angle to increase. The overload of
capacitance in the circuit has no effect on the reactive power (Q) or the apparent power (S) but
it is still necessary so that a balance of capacitance and inductance in the circuit can be kept.