Capacitance

Capacitance is the ability of a dielectric

Capacitance to hold or store an electric charge.

The more charge stored for a given

voltage, the higher the capacitance.

The symbol for capacitance is C, and

the unit is the farad (F), named after
Michael Faraday.
 A capacitor consists of an insulator
Capacitance (also called a dielectric) between two
conductors.

The conductors make it possible to

apply voltage across the insulator.
 Different types of capacitors are
Capacitance manufactured for specific values of C.

They are named according to the

dielectric. Common types are air,
ceramic, mica, paper, film, and
electrolytic capacitors.

Capacitors used in electronic circuits

are small and economical.
 The most important property of a
Capacitance capacitor is its ability to block a
steady DC voltage while passing AC
signals.

The higher the frequency, the less the

opposition to AC voltage.
 Capacitors are a common source of
Capacitance troubles because they can have either
an open at the conductors or a short
circuit through the dielectric.
How Charge
Is Stored
in a
Dielectric
How Charge Is
It is possible for dielectric materials
such as air or paper to hold an electric
charge because free electrons cannot
Stored flow through an insulator.

in a Dielectric However, the charge must be applied

by some source.
How Charge Is The battery can charge the capacitor as

Stored shown in the figure.

With the dielectric contacting the two

in a Dielectric Positively
conductors connected to the potential
difference V, electrons from the voltage
Charged
source accumulate on the side of the
capacitor connected to the negative
terminal of V.
Conductive

Dielectric
Plates

Negatively
Charged
How Charge Is The opposite side of the capacitor

Stored connected to the positive terminal of

V loses electrons.

in a Dielectric Positively
As a result, the excess of electrons
produces a negative charge on one
Charged
side of the capacitor, and the opposite
side has a positive charge.
Conductive

Dielectric
Plates

Negatively
Charged
How Charge Is The charge on only one plate need be

Stored considered because the number of

electrons accumulated on one plate is

in a Dielectric
exactly the same as the number taken
from the opposite plate.
Positively
Charged
Conductive

Dielectric
Plates

Negatively
Charged
How Charge Is What the voltage source does is simply

Stored redistribute some electrons from one

side of the capacitor to the other.

in a Dielectric Positively
This process is called charging the
capacitor. Charging continues until
Charged
the potential difference across the
capacitor is equal to the applied
voltage.
Conductive

Dielectric
Plates

Negatively
Charged
How Charge Is
Without any series resistance, the
charging is instantaneous.

Stored Practically, however, there is always some

series resistance.

in a Dielectric Positively
This charging current is transient, or
temporary; it flows only until the
Charged
capacitor is charged to the applied
voltage.
Conductive

Dielectric Then there is no current in the circuit.

Plates

Negatively
Charged
How Charge Is
The result is a device for storing charge in
the dielectric.

Stored Storage means that the charge remains

even after the voltage source is

in a Dielectric Positively
disconnected.

The measure of how much charge can be

Charged
stored is the capacitance, C.
Conductive

Dielectric
Plates

Negatively
Charged
 Charging
and
Discharging
a Capacitor
 Charging and discharging are the two main
Charging and effects of capacitors.

Discharging
Applied voltage puts charge in the capacitor.

The accumulation of charge results in a buildup

a Capacitor
of potential difference across the capacitor plates.

When the capacitor voltage equals the applied

voltage, there is no more charging. The charge
remains in the capacitor, with or without the
applied voltage connected.
Charging and The capacitor discharges when a
conducting path is provided across the

Discharging plates, without any applied voltage.

The capacitor can serve as a voltage

a Capacitor source, temporarily, to produce discharge
current in the discharge path.

The capacitor discharge continues until

the capacitor voltage drops to zero or is
equal to the applied voltage.
Charging and The capacitor is neutral with no charge
because it has not been connected to any

Discharging source of applied voltage and there is no

electrostatic field in the dielectric.

a Capacitor: Closing the switch,however, allows the

negative battery terminal to repel free
Applying the electrons in the conductor to plate A.

Charge At the same time, the positive terminal

attracts free electrons from plate B.
Charging and The side of the dielectric at plate A
accumulates electrons because they cannot

Discharging flow through the insulator, and plate B has

an equal surplus of protons.

a Capacitor:
Applying the
Charge
Charging and The negative and positive charges on
opposite plates have an associated electric

Discharging field through the dielectric.

The direction of these electric lines of force

a Capacitor: is shown repelling electrons from plate B,
making this side positive.
Storing the The effect of electric lines of force through
Charge the dielectric results in storage of the
charge.
Charging and The action of neutralizing the charge by
connecting a conducting path across the

Discharging dielectric is called discharging the

capacitor.

a Capacitor: The wire between plates A and B is a low-

resistance path for discharge current.
Discharging With the stored charge in the dielectric
A B
providing the potential difference, to
produce discharge current.
Charging and The negative plate repels electrons, which
are attracted to the positive plate through

Discharging the wire, until the positive and negative

charges are neutralized.

a Capacitor: Then there is no net charge.

Discharging The capacitor is completely discharged, the

voltage across it equals zero, and there is
A B
no discharge current.
Charging
and
Dischargin
g
a
Capacitor: