CAMBRIDGE A LEVEL PHYSICS

CAPACITANCE

L E A R N I N G O U TC O M E S
NUMBER i ii iii iv v

LEARNING OUTCOMES
What are capacitors? How capacitors work? How do measure the value of a capacitor? How do we calculate equivalent capacitances for capacitors connected in series and/or in parallel? How do we calculate the energy stored in a capacitor?

W H AT A R E C A PA C I TO R S ?
Capacitors are electronic devices that are made up of two conductors separated from each other by a dielectric. The image below shows certain types of capacitors seen in electronic devices.

Diagram 24.7, page 793, Sears and Zemanskys University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13th edition, Pearson Education, San Francisco, 2012.

W H AT A R E C A PA C I TO R S ?
Capacitors are electronic devices that are capable of:
a. storing electric charge, and thus can store electric energy, b. blocking flow of direct current, but enabling alternating current, and c. Can be used as filters in radio/TV receivers

Capacitors are used in the flash of cameras, radio and television receivers and air bag sensors.

W H AT A R E C A PA C I TO R S ?
Two parallel conducting plates can be used to built a capacitor. Symbol for parallel plate capacitors in circuit diagrams:

H O W C A PA C I T O R S F U N C T I O N

H O W C A PA C I T O R S F U N C T I O N
Whenever a potential difference, V is applied across a capacitor, electrons flow from the negative terminal to plate Y due to the potential difference between the negative terminal of the battery and the plate Y. Electrons also flow from plate X to positive terminal. The potential difference across the capacitor increases. When potential difference, V across capacitor is equals to potential difference supplied, the charges stop flowing. The plate X will acquire a net positive charge of while plate Y will acquire a net negative charge of .

H O W C A PA C I T O R S F U N C T I O N
Since the conducting plates are separated by a dielectric (an insulator), the charges cannot flow across. Thus, the charges that are stored at the plates store electric potential energy in them. Note that even though the positive plate and negative plates carry charges of and

respectively, the charge stored in the capacitor is Q.

HOW DO WE MEASURE C A PA C I TA N C E ?
The capacitance of a capacitor is defined as the amount of charge stored in the capacitor, (in C) to the per unit of potential difference, (in V) across the capacitor, or The units of capacitance is the Farad (F).

HOW DO WE MEASURE C A PA C I TA N C E ?
1 Farad is the value of the capacitance of a capacitor if it stores 1 Coulomb of charge when a potential difference of 1 Volt is applied across it. Hence, 1 F= 1 C/V.

EXAMPLES
Example; 11.2 Capacitance, Page 293, Chapter 11: Fields, International A/AS Level Physics, by Mee, Crundle, Arnold and Brown, Hodder Education, United Kingdom, 2008.

EXAMPLES

Example; 11.2 Capacitance, Page 299, Chapter 11: Fields, International A/AS Level Physics, by Mee, Crundle, Arnold and Brown, Hodder Education, United Kingdom, 2008.

C A PA C I TO R S C O N N E C T E D IN SERIES

Vsupply

C A PA C I TO R S C O N N E C T E D IN SERIES
The diagram on the previous slide shows 3 capacitors connected with each other in series. Electrons flow from negative terminal of the power supply to plate Y, and charge plate Y negative Electrons also flow from plate A to the positive terminal of the power supply, thereby causing plate to acquire a positive charge. What about the other plates B, M, N and X?

C A PA C I TO R S C O N N E C T E D IN SERIES
The sum of the p.d. across the 3 capacitors must equal the supply voltage, or , The charge stored on each capacitor is the same, or Hence

,or

C A PA C I TO R S C O N N E C T E D I N PA R A L L E L

C A PA C I TO R S C O N N E C T E D I N PA R A L L E L
The diagram on the previous slide shows 3 capacitors connected in parallel with each other. Charges flow into the capacitors until the potential difference across each capacitor is equal to the charging voltage, V. Hence, the potential difference across the capacitors are the same, V.

C A PA C I TO R S C O N N E C T E D I N PA R A L L E L

On

. simplification,

or we

obtain

EXAMPLES

Example 24.5 and Diagrams 24.8 and 24.9, pages 793, 794 and 795, Sears and Zemanskys University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13th edition, Pearson Education, San Francisco, 2012.

EXAMPLES

Example 24.6, page 796, Sears and Zemanskys University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13th edition, Pearson Education, San Francisco, 2012.

EXAMPLES

Exercise 24.16, page 812, Sears and Zemanskys University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13th edition, Pearson Education, San Francisco, 2012.

EXAMPLES

Exercise 24.16, page 812, Sears and Zemanskys University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13th edition, Pearson Education, San Francisco, 2012.

EXAMPLES

Example; 11.2 Capacitance, Page 298, Chapter 11: Fields, International A/AS Level Physics, by Mee, Crundle, Arnold and Brown, Hodder Education, United Kingdom, 2008.

EXAMPLES

Questions; Section 11.2 Capacitance, Page 303, Chapter 11: Fields, International A/AS Level Physics, by Mee, Crundle, Arnold and Brown, Hodder Education, United Kingdom, 2008.

ENERGY STORED IN C A PA C I T O R S
Capacitors are capable of storing electric
energy. How do we calculate the amount of energy stored in a capacitor? Recall that the potential difference across a capacitor is directly proportional to the amount of charge stored in it. What sort of graph would we get if we plot p.d. versus amount of charge stored?

ENERGY STORED IN C A PA C I T O R S

ENERGY STORED IN C A PA C I T O R S
To calculate the amount of electric energy transferred from the battery to the capacitor, we need to find the area under the curve.
Note that the p.d. across the capacitor increases as the amount of charge stored in it increases. Hence, the energy stored by the capacitor, since

EXAMPLES

Example; 11.2 Capacitance, Page 294, Chapter 11: Fields, International A/AS Level Physics, by Mee, Crundle, Arnold and Brown, Hodder Education, United Kingdom, 2008.

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2008, Paper 4, Question 5.

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2008, Paper 4, Question 5 (contd).

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2008, Paper 4, Question 5 (contd).

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2008, Paper 4, Question 5 (contd).

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2009, Paper 4, Question 5.

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2009, Paper 4, Question 5 (contd).

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2009, Paper 4, Question 5 (contd).

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2009, Paper 4, Question 5 (contd).

EXAMPLES
May/Jun 2009, Paper 4, Question 5 (contd).

HOMEWORK
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Winter 09, Paper 42, question 4. Summer 10, Paper 42, question 5. Winter 10, Paper 41, question 4. Winter 10, Paper 43, question 4. Summer 11, Paper 42, question 3. Winter 11, Paper 43, question 4.