Capacitance
Capacitance, abbreviated as C or CAP, is the ability of a system to store electrical charge. The capacitance of a system depends on its physical characteristics and the arrangement of its components. In other terms, capacitance quantifies how much charge a capacitor can store per unit of voltage. A capacitor is a two terminal electronic component that consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric. The larger the surface area of the plates and the smaller the separation between them, the higher the capacitance.
This equation illustrates that the current flowing into or out of a capacitor is proportional to the rate of change of voltage across the capacitor. As a result, capacitors are often used in electronic circuits for various purposes, such as energy storage, smoothing voltage fluctuations, and filtering signals. Capacitance plays a role in the behavior of many electrical systems and is a key parameter in the design and analysis of electronic circuits.
Capacitance Formula |
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\(\large{ C = \frac{ Q }{ V } }\) | ||
Symbol | English | Metric |
\(\large{ C }\) = capacitance | \(\large{F}\) | \(\large{\frac{s^4-A^2}{kg-m^2}}\) |
\(\large{ Q }\) = electrical charge that is stored on the capacitor | \(\large{C}\) | \(\large{A-s}\) |
\(\large{ V }\) = potential difference (the voltage between the capacitor's plates) | \(\large{V}\) | \(\large{\frac{kg-m^2}{s^{3}-A}}\) |
Tags: Electrical