Experiment No.

7: Capacitance

INTRODUCTION

Electrical charge can be stored in a device called a capacitor in a manner completely

analogous to the storing of water in a tank. Many uses for capacitors in providing short but intense
pulses of electric current for various purposes are encountered in practice. Practical capacitors
exist in many forms, but each basically consists of two conducting sheets or plates separated by
an insulator. If a potential difference is applied between the plates, these will acquire equal
charges of opposite sign, the value of each charge being proportional to the applied voltage. The
constant of proportionality, which is the characteristic of a particular capacitor, is called
capacitance.

OBJECTIVES

After performing this experiment, you should be able to

• explain the concepts of a capacitor and its capacitance.

• measure capacitance and energy stored based on geometrical factors of the capacitor,
distance between plates and plate area.
• verify the predictions of the capacitance equation.

EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS NEEDED

• http://ophysics.com/f4.html

THEORY

A capacitor is a device used to store electric charge. Capacitors have applications ranging
from filtering static out of radio reception to energy storage in heart defibrillators. A typical
commercial capacitor consists of two parallel conductive plates (usually a metal) which are
prevented from touching each other (separated) by an insulating material called the “dielectric”.

Figure 1. two-plate capacitor

(credit: “papa November”, Wikimedia commons)

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 1

 When a voltage is applied to these plates, an electric current flows, charging up one plate
with a positive charge +Q with respect to the supply voltage and the other plate with an equal and
opposite negative charge −Q.

A capacitor has the ability to store an electric charge Q (SI unit: coulomb (C)). When a
capacitor is fully charged, there is a potential difference V between its plates. The capacitor’s
ability to store this electric charge Q between its plates is proportional to the applied voltage V for
a capacitor of known capacitance C.

𝑄
𝐶=𝑉 (1)

The SI unit of capacitance is the farad (F), named for Michael Faraday (1791–1867), an
English scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Since
capacitance is charge per unit voltage, we see that a farad is a coulomb per volt (1 F = 1 C/V).

Note: capacitance C is ALWAYS positive and never negative.

The greater the applied voltage, the greater will be the charge stored on the plates of the
capacitor. Likewise, the smaller the applied voltage, the smaller the charge.

The electric field E, in newton per coulomb or volt per meter (1 N/C = 1 V/m), between the
plates is proportional to the charge:

E∝Q (2)

where the symbol ∝ means “proportional to”. From the discussion in “Electric Potential in a
Uniform Electric Field”, we know that the voltage across parallel plates is V = Ed. Thus,

V∝E (3)

It follows, then, that V ∝ Q, and conversely,

Q∝V (4)

Parallel-Plate Capacitor

The parallel-plate capacitor shown in Figure 2 has two identical conducting plates, each
having a surface area A, separated by a distance d (with no material between the plates). When
a voltage V is applied to the capacitor, it stores a charge Q as shown. We can see how its
capacitance depends on A and d by considering the characteristics of the Coulomb force. We
know that like charges repel, unlike charges attract, and the force between charges decreases
with distance. So it seems quite reasonable that the bigger the plates are, the more charge they
can store—because the charges can spread out more. Thus, C should be greater for larger A.
Similarly, the closer the plates are together, the greater the attraction of the opposite charges on
them. So C should be greater for smaller d.

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 2

 Figure 2. Electric field lines in this parallel plate
capacitor, as always, start on positive charges and end
on negative charges. Since the electric field strength is
proportional to the density of field lines, it is also
proportional to the amount of charge on the capacitor.
(credit: openstax.org/college-physics)

It can be shown that for a parallel plate capacitor there are only two factors (A and d) that
affect its capacitance C. The capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor is given by

𝐴
𝐶 = 𝜀𝑜 𝑑 (5)

where A is the area of one plate in square meter (m2), and d is the distance between the plates
in meter (m). The constant 𝜀𝑜 is the permittivity of free space; its numerical value in SI units is
F C2
𝜀𝑜 = 8.85 × 10−12 m . The unit F/m is equivalent to N·m2 . The small numerical value of 𝜀𝑜 is
related to the large size of the farad. A parallel plate capacitor must have a large area to have a
capacitance approaching a farad. Note that the above equation is valid when the parallel plates
are separated by air or free space. When another material is placed between the plates, the
equation is modified, as discussed below.

Energy Stored in Capacitors

Energy stored in a capacitor is electrical potential energy, and it is thus related to the
charge Q and voltage V on the capacitor. We must be careful when applying the equation for
electrical potential energy Δ𝑈 = 𝑞 Δ𝑉 to a capacitor. Remember that Δ𝑈 is the potential energy
of a charge 𝑞 going through a voltage Δ𝑉 . But the capacitor starts with zero voltage and gradually
comes up to its full voltage as it is charged. The first charge placed on a capacitor experiences a
change in voltage Δ𝑉 = 0, since the capacitor has zero voltage when uncharged. The final charge
placed on a capacitor experiences Δ𝑉 = 𝑉 , since the capacitor now has its full voltage V on it.
𝑉
The average voltage on the capacitor during the charging process is , and so the average
2
𝑉
voltage experienced by the full charge is 2
.Thus the energy stored in a capacitor U is given by

1 1 𝑄2
𝑈 = 2 𝑄𝑉 = 2 𝐶𝑉 2 = 2𝐶 (6)

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 3

In terms of the capacitor’s geometry, the energy stored in a parallel-plate capacitor is given by

1 𝜀𝑜 𝐴
𝑈 = 2( 𝑑
) 𝑉2 (7)

PROCEDURE

1. Open http://ophysics.com/f.html. Go to heading E & M and click Capacitor Lab.

2. Accustom yourself with the simulation before you start with your measurements. Play around
with the various slider settings.

3. Click check on CLOSE SWITCH, OPEN SWITCH, ANIMATE ON at various settings of

Distance between Plates, Plate Area, and Voltage to familiarize with the simulation.

4. Adjust the following sliders to:

Distance between Plates: 0.5 mm

Plate Area: 2 m2
Voltage: 3V
Resistance: 5Ω

5. Click on the Discharge Capacitor box and check on the Open Switch box to set the initial
Energy stored on capacitor to zero and current 𝑰 to zero.

6. Now, check on the Close Switch box

7. Disable the Animate on. Record initial value of the current 𝐼, 𝑉𝑐𝑎𝑝 , and Energy.

8. If you want to reset, press the Discharge Capacitor and Open Switch boxes.

9. Record the values of the capacitance and the energy stored on capacitor in Table 1.

10. Repeat procedure 4–9 with different Distance between Plates: 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm,
0.9 mm, and 1.0 mm. Record in Table 1.

11. In Table 2, the Plate Area will be varied while the Distance between Plates is constant at
0.6 mm. Use area values of 1.0 m2,1.5 m2, 2.0 m2, 2.5 m2, 3.0 m2, 3.5 m2, and 4.0 m2.

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 4

12. Using the same procedure 4–8, record the values of the capacitance and the energy stored
on capacitor in Table 2 with different plate area specified in Procedure 9.

13. Using the data in Table 1, make two graphs:

𝟏
a) Graph A: Capacitance C against the reciprocal of distance between plates 𝒅. Determine
the slope of the graph, then calculate the permittivity of free space 𝜀𝑜 based from the slope.
𝟏
(b) Graph B: Energy stored on capacitor 𝑈 against . Determine the slope of the graph and
𝒅
calculate the charge Q stored in the capacitor.

14. Using the data in Table 2, make two graphs:

a) Graph C: Capacitance C against the plate area A. Determine the slope of the graph, then
calculate the permittivity of free space 𝜀𝑜 based from the slope.
b) Graph D: Energy U stored in the capacitor against area A. Determine the slope of the
graph and calculate the charge Q stored in the capacitor.

References

Capacitance – CED Engineering at https://www.cedengineering.com/userfiles/

Capacitance.pdf

College Physics at https://openstax.org/books/college-physics/pages/19-7-energy-stored-in-

capacitors

Introduction to capacitors at https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/capacitor/cap_1.html

Wilson, J. (1994). Physics Laboratory Experiments. MA: D.C. Heath and Company.

Young and Freedman (2020). University Physics with Modern Physics 15th ed.

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 5

Name___________________________ Date Performed____________________
Subject__________________________ Schedule__________________________

Experiment No. 7: Capacitance

Table 1. Relationship Between Capacitance and Distance between Plates

Plate Area 𝐴: ____

Voltage of Capacitor V: ____
Resistance 𝑅: ________

Distance Reciprocal of Distance Capacitance Energy

between Plates between plates C stored on
d 1 Capacitor
𝑑
(mm) 1 (nF) U
(mm) (nJ)
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0

NOTE: 1 nF = 10−9 F
1 nJ = 10−9 J
1 mm = 10−3 m

Graph A here:

Graph B here:

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 6

QUESTIONS:

1. What relationship exists between the capacitance of the capacitor and the reciprocal of
distance (Graph A)?

1
2. What is of the slope of the graph of C vs. 𝑑 ? What is the physical significance of the slope?

3. Show how the permittivity of free space is calculated using the slope of Graph A.

1
4. What relationship exists between the energy stored on capacitor and 𝑑 (Graph B)?

Table 2. Relationship between Capacitance and Plate Area

Distance between Plates d: ____

Voltage of Capacitor V: ____
Resistance 𝑅: ________

Plate Area Capacitance Energy stored on

A C Capacitor
U
(m2) (nF) (nJ)
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 7

Graph C here:

Graph D here:

5. What relationship exists between the capacitance C and the plate area A (Graph C)?

6. What is of the slope of the graph of C vs. A? What is the physical significance of the slope?

7. Show how the permittivity of free space is calculated using the slope of Graph C.

8. What relationship exists between the energy U stored on capacitor and area A (Graph D)?

9. There is vacuum (no matter) between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor. The distance
between plates is 28.0 mm and the area of each plate is 46.0 cm2. (1 mm = 10−3 m and
1 cm2 = 10−4 m2). If the capacitor is charged through a 220 V supply, calculate the following
(3 significant figures each):

a) capacitance (in F) of the capacitor

b) charge (in C) stored in the capacitor, and
c) electric field (in N/C or V/m) between the plates.

Copyright © 2021 USC Department of Physics All rights reserved pg. 8