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17.2. Capacitance
Capacitors
A capacitor consists of two conductors that are close but not touching. A capacitor has the ability (capacity) to store electric charge and electric potential energy.
Capacitors (Condensers)
Even two insulated wires twisted together!
Capacitors
Circuit diagram
When the plates of a capacitor are connected to the terminals of a battery, they become charged. The voltage across the capacitor is the voltage of the battery.
Capacitance
When a capacitor is connected to a battery, the charge on each plate is proportional to the voltage:
The quantity C is called the capacitance. It indicates the amount of charge stored per volt.
Unit of capacitance: the farad (F), 1 F = 1 C/V
Michael Faraday (1793-1867), a pioneering
researcher of electricity and magnetism
Capacitance
The capacitance is a function of the geometry and materials of the capacitor. It is always a positive quantity.
For a parallel-plate capacitor with a vacuum between the plates:
Capacitors and Dielectrics
A dielectric is an insulator; when placed between the plates of a capacitor its molecules polarize, reducing the internal electric field – and thus the voltage – for a given charge. For a given voltage, it allows a greater charge to exist on both plates.
Capacitors and Dielectrics
Dielectrics also allow the plates to be placed closer together without touching – which also increases the capacitance – and allow a greater voltage to be used without the charge jumping the gap.
Dielectrics A dielectric is characterized by its dielectric constant K, which is the (non-dimensional) factor by which a dielectric increases the capacitance.
The capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor filled with dielectric is:
Dielectrics
Break down
Lightening is an example of breakdown across a dielectric (air).
When a capacitor breaks down, you can generally smell the burning of the dielectric.
For a spark to jump a 1 km gap of air requires: 3 × 109 V A 1 mm gap: 3000 V A 0.5 μm gap: 1.5 V
Example 1
Capacitors
Storage of Electric Energy
Storage of Electric Energy
Capacitors: Applications
Capacitors can provide a large burst of energy to a circuit.
Capacitors are also used to protect delicate circuits from excess charge accumulation and power surges by diverting and storing extra charge.
Capacitors: Applications
Heart defibrillators use electric discharge to “jump-start” the heart, and can save lives.
Camera flashes also use capacitors. The charge accumulates over several seconds, and is released in a millisecond.
Computer Keyboards
The keys on a computer keyboard is connected to the upper plate of a parallel-plate capacitor. When you press on a key, the plates move closer together, changing the capacitance which the circuitry of the computer detects.
Capacitors: Applications
Capacitors are also use in DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chips in computers to store data:
0000 = 0
0001 = 2
0010 = 3
0011 = 4
0100 = 5
0101 = 6
0110 = 7
0111 = 8
1000 = 9
Capacitors can be dangerous
Capacitors can retain their charge for a very long time, even when disconnected from a voltage source – e.g. when an electrical device is turned off and unplugged from the wall. The sudden discharge of electric energy can be harmful or fatal – so be careful of capacitors!
A capacitor may be discharged by putting a screwdriver across the leads, which should be done before working on a circuit.