REVIEWER IN GENERAL PHYSICS 2 Electric connections

CAPACITORS AND ELECTRIC SERIES Series Capacitors Parallel Capacitors

Definition “consecutive” “one plate of each
Capacitors are simple passive device that can store an capacitors capacitor is connected
electrical charge on their plates when connected to a directly to one
voltage source. terminal of the
source”
• capacitor consists of two or more parallel
conductive (metal) plates which are not Ctotal all over one. take the sum
connected or touching each other, but are 1 = 𝐶1 + 𝐶2 + 𝐶3
=
electrically separated by insulating material. 1 1 1
• The insulating layer between a capacitors plate 𝐶1 + 𝐶2 + 𝐶3
is commonly called the Dielectric.
Qtotal same and take the sum
• Capacitance value and Voltage rating
identical. =𝑄1 + 𝑄2 + 𝑄3
Capacitance is the measure of a capacitors ability to 𝑄1 = 𝑄2 = 𝑄3
store an electrical charge onto its two plates.
Vtotal = 𝑉1 + 𝑉2 + 𝑉3 = 𝑉1 + 𝑉2 + 𝑉3
• SI unit: Farad (abbreviated to F) named after
the British physicist Michael Faraday.
• Vtotal- sum of the voltage drop of each capacitor.
Standard Units of Capacitance (same computation for series and parallel)
= 𝑉1 + 𝑉2 + 𝑉3
• Milifarad (mF) 1mF = 0.0001 = 10-3 F
Example:
• Microfarad (μF) 1μF = = 0.000001 = 10-6 F
Parallel plate containing three
• Nanofarad (nF) 1nF = 0.000000001 = 10-9 F
capacitors whose values of volatage are 4.0
• Picofarad (pF)1pF= 0.000000000001 =10-12 F
nF, 5pF, 1.25μF.
(smallest unit of capacitance) = 4.0 X 10-9 + 5 X 10-12 + 1.25 X 10—6
=
The capacitance of a capacitor 1.23 x 10-6 F

𝛆𝟎 𝐋𝟐 Electric Current- movement or flow of the charge.

▪ ∁ =
𝐝
• Analogy: Flow of water on the River
where 𝜀0 has a constant value of 8.85 x 10-12 C2 / N·m2
• SI unit: Ampere (abbreviated to A) named
Example: after the physicist André-Marie Ampère.
𝜀0 = 8.85 x 10-12 1 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑚𝑏
1 𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑒 =
L= (1.0 x 10 )-6 1 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑

d = (1.0 x 10-9) • Symbol: I

ε0 L2 ( 8.85 𝑥 10−12 ) (1.0 𝑥 10−6 )2 CAPACITORS AND DIELECTRICS

∁ = =
d (1. 0 𝑥 10 −9 ) Dielectric Constant
C = 8.85 𝑥 10−15 𝐹 • Symbol: k
Capacitance value and depends upon three main ✓ Inserting a dielectric material between
factors: the plates of a capacitor changes
(increases) the value of the capacitance.
1. Surface Area – the larger the area the greater
the capacitance. “Good dielectrics”
2. Distance – the distance, d between the two ✓ It is a materials with large values of k.
plates, the smaller the distance the greater the ✓ This are usually highly iconic, meaning
capacitance. that they contain positive and negative
3. Dielectric Material – the higher the ions bound together.
permittivity of the dielectric the greater the • Materials that are very iconic tend to have the
capacitance largest value of k.
 •
Materials that are not iconic tend to have the Closed Circuits- complete path and there is a flow of
smallest value of k. current.
✓ The actual value of the dielectric constant
depends on the material.

Series and Parallel Circuits

• Series Circuit

- closed circuit

- not common in homes VOLTAGE, CURRENT AND RESISTANCE

- unreliable wirings Three elements of electricity: voltage, current, and

resistance
- bulbs are dependent with each other
• relationship between voltage, current, and
• Parallel Circuit
resistance follows Ohm's law.
- closed circuit
Ohm’s law
- commonly used in homes
• Resistance is directly proportional to current
- reliable wirings (I) and voltage (V)
𝑰
- bulbs are independent 𝑹=
𝑽
• SI unit: Ohms (Ω).

CURRENT AND VOLTAGE IN A RESISTOR CIRCUITS NOTE:

Electric circuits- Path for transmitting electric current.
PARTS OF AN ELECTRIC CIRCUITS
1. Battery or a generator- primary source of
energy.
2. Bulbs, lamps- devices that use current.
✓ The value of wire’s resistance depends
on its composition, size and shape.
✓ It is useful to define a quantity 𝜌 called
resistivity, where the value of 𝜌 depends
on the material used to make the wire,
but not on its size or shape.

3. Key or switch- control the circuit.

RESISTOR- regulate, limit and control the current
4. Wires- transmission lines. flowing anywhere in a circuit.

Open circuits- incomplete path which means there is RESISTANCE- measurement of resistors value.
no flow of current.
• SI unit: Ohms (Ω). Named after the physicist
CAUSES OPEN CIRCUITS Georg Simon Ohm.

• Component failure (failure in switches, bulbs) Colour Coding of Resistors

• Break in conductor (break in wire)
▪ The resistor colour code is a way of showing
• Manual interruption
the value of a resistor. Instead of writing the
resistance on its body, which would often be
too small to read, a colour code is used.
▪ Ten different colours represent the numbers 0
to 9.
Colour Coding of Resistors Value

• The first stripe is yellow, which means the

leftmost digit is a 4.

• The second stripe is violet, which means the

next digit is a 7.

• The third stripe is brown. Since brown is 1, it

means add one zero to the right of the first
two digits.

Ex. Yellow, purple, red

= 4 7 00

Brown, black, yellow

= 1 0 0000

Yellow, purple, black

= 4 7 (no need to put 0, black has no

value)

Tolerance is the percentage of error in the resistor's

resistance.