Question

what is a capacitor.Explain in detail the types of combination to obtain equivalent capacitance​

Answer 1

Question :

what is a capacitor.

Explain in detail the types of combination to obtain equivalent capacitance

Answer :

capacitor :

eqkapacitor ( or condenser ) is a device that stores ( or condenses ) electrostatic field energy.

Capacitance :

The property of a capacitor that characterizes it's ability to store energy is called capacitance.

Combinations of Capacitors :

Series combination :

Suppose n capacitors are connected in series .

Let a battery V be applied across the combination , then

$\tt V = {V}_{1} + {V}_{2} + {V}_{3} + . . . + {V}_{n}$

$\tt \implies \frac{Q}{{C}_{eq}} = \frac{Q}{{C}_{1}} + \frac{Q}{{C}_{2}} + \frac{Q}{{C}_{3}} + ... + \frac{Q}{{C}_{n}}$

$\tt \implies \frac{1}{{C}_{eq}} = \frac{1}{{C}_{1}} + \frac{1}{{C}_{2}} + \frac{1}{{C}_{3}} + ... + \frac{1}{{C}_{n}}$

Thus the reciprocal of the equivalent capacitance of a series combination equals to the sum of the reciprocals of the individual capacitances.

Parallel Combination :

Let n capacitors be connected in parallel .

Let total charge flowing through the battery be q , then

$\tt q = {q}_{1} + {q}_{2} + {q}_{3} + ... + {q}_{n}$

$\tt \implies {C}_{eq}V = {C}_{1}V + {C}_{2}V + {C}_{3}V + ... + {C}_{n}V$

$\tt \implies {C}_{eq} = {C}_{1} + {C}_{2} + {C}_{3} + ... + {C}_{n}$

That is , the equivalent capacitance of parallel combination equals to the sum of individual capacitances.

Special Cases :

● If n capacitors of equal capacitance C are connected in series then

$\tt {C}_{eq} = \frac{C}{n}$

● If n capacitors of equal capacitance C are connected in parallel then

$\tt {C}_{eq} = nC$

Answer 2

Answer:

When several capacitors are connected in a series combination, the reciprocal of the equivalent capacitance is the sum of the reciprocals of the individual capacitances. When several capacitors are connected in a parallel combination, the equivalent capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitances.

Important points:

• If N identical capacitors of capacitance C are connected in series, then effective capacitance = C/N
• If N identical capacitors of capacitance C are connected in parallel, then effective capacitance = CN