1.

What is Capacitor?

Capacitor (originally known as a condenser) is a passive two-terminalelectrical component used to

store energy electrostatically in an electric field. The forms of practical capacitors vary widely, but all contain at least
twoelectrical conductors (plates) separated by a dielectric (i.e. insulator). The conductors can be thin films, foils or
sintered beads of metal or conductive electrolyte, etc. The nonconducting dielectric acts to increase the capacitor's charge
capacity. A dielectric can be glass, ceramic, plastic film, air, vacuum, paper, mica, oxide layer etc. Capacitors are widely
used as parts of electrical circuits in many common electrical devices. Unlike a resistor, an ideal capacitor does not
dissipate energy. Instead, a capacitor stores energy in the form of an electrostatic field between its plates.

2.

How can capacitance can be computed?

3.

Factors Affecting Capacitance

PLATE AREA: All other factors being equal, greater plate area gives greater capacitance; less plate area
gives less capacitance. Explanation: Larger plate area results in more field flux (charge collected on the
plates) for a given field force (voltage across the plates).

PLATE AREA: All other factors being equal, greater plate area gives greater capacitance; less plate area
gives less capacitance. Explanation: Larger plate area results in more field flux (charge collected on the
plates) for a given field force (voltage across the plates).

DIELECTRIC MATERIAL: All other factors being equal, greater permittivity of the dielectric gives
greater capacitance; less permittivity of the dielectric gives less capacitance. Explanation: Although its
complicated to explain, some materials offer less opposition to field flux for a given amount of field
force. Materials with a greater permittivity allow for more field flux (offer less opposition), and thus a
greater collected charge, for any given amount of field force (applied voltage).

4.

Ways on How to charge or discharge a Capacitor

When a Capacitor is connected to a circuit with Direct Current (DC) source,
two processes, which are called "charging" and "discharging" the Capacitor,
will happen in specific conditions.
In Figure 3, the Capacitor is connected to the DC Power Supply and Current
flows through the circuit. Both Plates get the equal and opposite charges and
an increasing Potential Difference, vc, is created while the Capacitor is
charging. Once the Voltage at the terminals of the Capacitor, v c, is equal to
the Power Supply Voltage, vc = V, the Capacitor is fully charged and the
Current stops flowing through the circuit, the Charging Phase is over.

A Capacitor is equivalent to an Open-Circuit to Direct Current, R = ,

because once the Charging Phase has finished, no more Current flows
through it. The Voltage vc on a Capacitor cannot change abruptly.
When the Capacitor disconnected from the Power Supply, the Capacitor is
discharging through the Resistor RD and the Voltage between the Plates
drops down gradually to zero, vc = 0, Figure 4.