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Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of a capacitor in electrical circuits?
How does increasing the area of the plates in a capacitor affect capacitance, assuming constant spacing?
What happens to the net capacitance when capacitors are connected in series?
Which of the following describes the standard unit of capacitance?
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What effect does moving the plates of a capacitor closer together have on capacitance, assuming constant mutual area?
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When connecting capacitors in parallel, how is the net capacitance calculated?
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What parameter is directly related to how much charge a capacitor can store?
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Which of the following factors does NOT affect the capacitance of a capacitor?
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Study Notes
Capacitors
- Capacitors are electrical components that store energy.
- Capacitors are fundamental passive components like resistors and inductors.
- Capacitors are used for local energy storage, voltage spike suppression, and complex signal filtering.
- Capacitors store energy by distributing charged particles on plates to create a potential difference.
Capacitance
- Capacitance is the measure of a capacitor's ability to store an electrical charge.
- Capacitance is measured in farads (F).
- Factors affecting capacitance:
- Area of plates: Increasing the area of plates increases capacitance.
- Distance between plates: Decreasing the distance between plates increases capacitance.
- Dielectric constant of the material between the plates: A higher dielectric constant increases capacitance.
Series Capacitors
- Capacitors in series combine like resistances in parallel.
- The net capacitance in a series circuit is smaller than the individual capacitances.
- When calculating net capacitance in series, use the same units for all capacitors.
- Example: Two capacitors, C1 = 0.10 μF and C2 = 0.050 μF, in series have a net capacitance of 0.033 μF.
Parallel Capacitors
- Capacitors in parallel combine like resistances in series.
- The net capacitance in a parallel circuit is the sum of the individual capacitances.
- When calculating net capacitance in parallel, use the same units for all capacitors.
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Description
This quiz covers the fundamentals of capacitors, including their function as energy storage components and the factors that determine capacitance. It also explains how capacitors behave in series circuits. Test your understanding of these essential electrical components.
