CAPACITORS and

CAPACITANCE
 When the string of a bow is
pulled back, mechanical
energy is stored as elastic
potential energy.

Jennifer Lawrence pulling the string of a bow

A capacitor is a device that

stores electric potential
energy and electric charge.

A capacitor
CAPACITORS AND CAPACITANCE

OBJECTIVES:

• Familiarize the nature of capacitors

• Calculate a quantity that measures capacitors’ ability
to store charge
• Analyze capacitors connected in a network
• Calculate the amount of energy stored in a capacitor
• Familiarize dielectrics
• Recognize how dielectrics make capacitors more
effective
 CAPACITORS and
CAPACITANCE

• Capacitors and Capacitance

• Capacitors in Series and Parallel
• Energy Storage in Capacitors and Electric-Field
Energy
• Dielectrics
Any two conductors separated by an
insulator (or a vacuum) form a
capacitor (figure in the left).

Each conductor initially has zero net

charge and electrons are transferred
from one conductor to the other; this
is called charging the capacitor.

In circuit diagrams, a capacitor is

represented by either of these
symbols
 𝑸
𝑪=
𝑽𝒂𝒃
• Capacitance is the ratio of charge to potential difference
from point a to b

• It is the measure of ability of a capacitor to store energy

• The SI unit of capacitance is called one farad (1 F), in

honor of the 19th century English physicist Michael Faraday

• 1 F = 1 farad = 1 C/V = 1 coulomb/volt

 𝑸 𝑨
𝑪= = 𝜺𝟎
𝑽𝒂𝒃 𝒅

• Capacitance of a parallel-plate
capacitor in vacuum
Example:

The parallel plates of a 1.0-F capacitor are 1.0 mm

apart. What is their area?

The plates of a parallel-plate capacitor in vacuum

are 5.00 mm apart and 2.00 m2 in area. A 10.0-kV
potential difference is applied across the capacitor.
Compute (a) the capacitance; (b) the charge on
each plate; and (c) the magnitude of the electric field
between the plates
Two concentric spherical conducting shells are
separated by vacuum as shown in the figure. The
inner shell has total charge +Q and outer radius ra,
and the outer shell has charge –Q and inner radius
rb. Find the capacitance of this spherical capacitor.
 CAPACITORS and
CAPACITANCE

• Capacitors and Capacitance

• Capacitors in Series and Parallel
• Energy Storage in Capacitors and Electric-Field
Energy
• Dielectrics
Capacitors in Series
𝟏 𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
= + + +⋯
𝑪𝒆𝒒 𝑪𝟏 𝑪𝟐 𝑪𝟑
𝑄 𝑄
𝑉𝑎𝑐 = 𝑉1 = 𝑉𝑐𝑏 = 𝑉2 =
𝐶1 𝐶2
1 1
𝑉𝑎𝑏 = 𝑉 = 𝑉1 + 𝑉2 = 𝑄 +
𝐶1 𝐶2
𝑉 1 1
= +
𝑄 𝐶1 𝐶2
Capacitors in Parallel

𝑪𝒆𝒒 = 𝑪𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐 + 𝑪𝟑 + ⋯

𝑄1 = 𝐶1 𝑉 𝑄2 = 𝐶2 𝑉

𝑄 = 𝑄1 + 𝑄2 = 𝐶1 + 𝐶2 𝑉
𝑄
= 𝐶1 + 𝐶2
𝑉
From the previous figures of series and parallel
networks, let 𝐶1 = 6.0 𝜇𝐹, 𝐶2 = 3.0 𝜇𝐹, and 𝑉𝑎𝑏 = 18 𝑉.
Find the equivalent capacitance and the charge and
potential difference for each capacitor when the
capacitors are connected (a) in series and (b) in
parallel.
Find the equivalent capacitance of the five-capacitor
network shown below
 CAPACITORS and
CAPACITANCE

• Capacitors and Capacitance

• Capacitors in Series and Parallel
• Energy Storage in Capacitors and Electric-Field
Energy
• Dielectrics
 Potential energy stored in a capacitor
𝑄2 1 2 1
𝑈= = 𝐶𝑉 = 𝑄𝑉
2𝐶 2 2
Electric energy density between parallel-plates
1 2
𝐶𝑉
𝑢=2
𝐴𝑑
Electric energy density in a vacuum
1
𝑢 = 𝜖0 𝐸 2
2
Transferring charge and energy between capacitors

We connect a capacitor 𝐶1 = 8.0 𝜇𝐹 to a power supply, charge it to

a potential difference 𝑉0 = 120 𝑉, and disconnect the power
supply. Switch S is open.
a) What is the charge 𝑄0 on 𝐶1 ?
b) What is the energy stored in 𝐶1 ?
c) Capacitor 𝐶2 = 4.0 𝜇𝐹 is initially uncharged. We close switch S.
After charge no longer flows, what is the potential difference
across each capacitor, and what is the charge on each
capacitor?
d) What is the final energy of the system?
a)What is the magnitude of the electric field
required to store 1.00 J of electric potential
energy in a volume of 1.00 𝑚3 in vacuum?

b)If the field magnitude is 10 times larger than

that, how much energy is stored per cubic
meter?
 CAPACITORS and
CAPACITANCE

• Capacitors and Capacitance

• Capacitors in Series and Parallel
• Energy Storage in Capacitors and Electric-Field
Energy
• Dielectrics
 Placing a solid dielectric between the
plates of a capacitor serves three
functions.

1. Solves the mechanical problem of

maintaining two large metal sheets
at a very small separation without
actual contact.

2. Increases the maximum possible

A common type of capacitor potential difference between
uses dielectric sheets to capacitor plates.
separate the conductors
3. The capacitance of a capacitor of
given dimensions is greater when
there is a dielectric material between
the plates than when there is
vacuum.
 Dielectric constant

𝐶
𝐾=
𝐶0

Potential Difference
(when Q is constant)

𝑉0
𝑉=
𝐾

𝐸0
𝐸=
𝐾
Parallel-plate capacitor, dielectric between plates
𝐴
𝐶 = 𝐾𝐶0 = 𝐾𝜖0
𝑑
Electric energy density in a dielectric

1
𝑢 = 𝐾𝜖0 𝐸 2
2
Induced surface charge density
1
𝜎𝑖 = 𝜎 1 −
𝐾

Permittivity of a dielectric

𝜖 = 𝐾𝜖0
Suppose the parallel plates from previous figures each have an area
of 2000 cm2 and are 1.00 cm apart. We connect the capacitor to a
power supply, charge it to a potential difference 𝑉0 = 3.00 𝑘𝑉, and
disconnect the power supply. We then insert a sheet of insulating
plastic material between the plates, completely filling the space
between them. We find that the potential difference decreases to 1.00
kV while the charge on each capacitor plate remains constant. Find

a) the original capacitance 𝐶0 ;

b) the magnitude of charge Q on each plate;
c) the capacitance C after the dielectric is inserted;
d) the dielectric constant K of the dielectric;
e) the permittivity 𝜖 of the dielectric;
f) the magnitude of induced charge 𝑄𝑖 on each face of the dielectric;
g) the original electric field 𝐸0 between the plates; and
h) the electric field E after the dielectric is inserted
From the previous example, find the energy
stored in the electric field of the capacitor and the
energy density, both before and after the
dielectric is inserted.