Notes in Physics for Engineers /m.a.

de salit
CAPACITOR
 invented by Michael Faraday, an English chemist and physicist known for his pioneering
experiments in electricity and magnetism
 a device for storing charge, made up of two parallel plates separated by a layer of insulating
material called dielectric
 the plates have an equal and opposite charge on them, creating a potential difference between
the plates.
 used to store information in computer memories, to regulate voltages in power supplies, to
establish electrical fields, to store electrical energy, to detect and produce electromagnetic waves,
in timer circuits and many others...

Symbol:

General Classification of Capacitors:

1. Fixed Capacitors – the values that are set during the manufacturing process cannot be altered
a.) Non- Electrolytic capacitor – does not use electrolytes in its construction
Examples: mica, ceramic and paper capacitor
b.) Electrolytic capacitors – uses an electrolyte as negative plate
- Electrolyte is usually aluminum oxide, borax or carbon (organic) salts
2. Variable Capacitors – capacitance can be varied as required usually by rotating a shaft attached
to the capacitor

CAPACITANCE
– ability of a body to store charge; the ratio of the charge flowing across the conductor to the
potential applied across it.

where: q is the amount of charge in the capacitor, Coulombs

V is the potential difference between plates, Volts
C is the capacitance, farad
 Notes in Physics for Engineers /m.a. de salit

 A capacitor has a capacitance of 1 farad (F) if 1 coulomb (C) of charge is deposited on the
plates by a potential difference of 1 volt across its plates.

CAPACITANCE OF PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR:

Parallel plate capacitor is an arrangement of two parallel conducting plates of equal area
separated by air medium or any other insulating medium such as paper, mica, glass, wood, ceramic
,etc…

If the dielectric material is inserted between plates, the microscopic dipole moments of the
material will shield the charges on the plates and alter the relation; materials have permeability
which is sometimes given by the relative permeability k,

Capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is

1. directly proportional to the area of the plates and
2. inversely proportional to the distance of separation between them
 Notes in Physics for Engineers /m.a. de salit

Source: University Physics 13th ed, Young and Freedman

CAPACITANCE OF SPHERICAL CAPACITOR

conducting sphere of radius a concentrically by conducting spherical shell of inner radius b

CAPACITANCE OF CYLINDRICAL CAPACITOR

conducting cylinder of radius a and length L surrounded concentrically by conducting cylindrical
shell of inner radius b and equal length.
Assumption: L >>>b
 Notes in Physics for Engineers /m.a. de salit
SERIES COMBINATION OF CAPACITORS

In series combination;
a.) charge is the same in each capacitor
b.) potential is distributed in inverse proportion to capacitances

The reciprocal of the net capacitance is the sum of the reciprocals of the individual
capacitances

PARALLEL COMBINATION OF CAPACITORS

In parallel combination,
a.) potential is same across each capacitor
b.) charge is distributed in direct proportion to capacitances

The net capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitance

 Notes in Physics for Engineers /m.a. de salit

PROBLEMS/EXERCISES:

1. Determine the amount of charge stored in either plate of a capacitor (4 x 10-6 farad) when
connected across a 12 V battery.

2. If the plate separation for a capacitor is 2.0 x 10-3 m, determine the area of the plates if the
capacitance is exactly 1 farad.
 Notes in Physics for Engineers /m.a. de salit
3. Calculate the voltage of a battery connected to a parallel plate capacitor with a plate area of 2.0
cm2 and a plate separation of 2 mm if the charge stored on the plates is 4.0 pC.

4. Instead of buying a capacitor, you decide to make one. Your capacitor consists of two circular
metal plates, each with a radius of 5 cm. The plates are parallel to each other and separated by a
distance of 1mm. You connect a 9 volt battery across the plates. Find: the capacitance of the
capacitor, the charge on each plate and the excess number of electrons on the negative plate.
 Notes in Physics for Engineers /m.a. de salit
5. Two capacitors, one 7.5 µF, and the 15µF, are connected in series across a 12-V battery. (a) Find
the equivalent capacitance of the two capacitors. (b) Find the charge stored in each capacitor.

6. Two capacitors, one 7.5 µF, and the 15µF, are connected in parallel across a 12-V battery. (a) Find
the equivalent capacitance of the two capacitors. (b)Find the charge stored in each capacitor.