Capacitance

Basic Concepts Definition of Capacitance Calculating Capacitance Combinations of Capacitors

Capacitance Defined
Consider two conductors having a potential difference V between them, and assume that they have equal and opposite charges as shown. Such a combination is called a capacitor. Capacitance, C, is defined as the ratio of the magnitude of the charge on either conductor to the magnitude of the potential difference between them:

C=

Q V

The SI unit of capacitance is the farad (F).

Calculation of Capacitance
d ++++++++++++++ b dl

Parallel Plate Capacitor

---------------------a

Two parallel plates of area A are separated by a distance d. One plate has charge Q and the other charge Q. Determine C. Earlier we found that the field between plates with equal and opposite charge (if the separation d is small compared to A) is: A
b

E=

Q = 0 0 A
b b

Q Qd V Vba = Vb Va = E d l = E dl = dl = 0 A 0 A a a a
C= Q 0 A = V d

Cylindrical Capacitor

A cylindrical conductor of radius a and charge Q is coaxial with a larger cylindrical shell of radius b and charge Q. Find the capacitance if the length of the capacitor is l. This means the charge per unit length = Q/l. First apply Gausss law to determine the electric field in the region between the conductors.

E=

2 0 r
b b a a

V V ba = V b V a = E d l = E dr V =

2 0

dr b = ln r 2 0 a

C=

Q V

l 2 0 l = V b ln a

Capacitors in Circuits
In drawing electrical circuits we will make use of the following symbols:
Capacitor Symbol

C
+ -

Battery Symbol Conducting Wire

+ -

COMBINATION OF CAPACITORS Parallel Capacitors

V1 = V 2 = V C2 Q2 C1 Q1 V V Ceq

The potential difference across of both capacitors is the same and is equal to the battery voltage,V. The total charge stored on the capacitors is The equivalent capacitance for parallel capacitors is the sum of the individual capacitors.

V = V1 = V2

Q = Q 1 + Q 2.

Ceq = C1 + C2 + C3 +

Series Capacitors
V1 Q C1 V2 -Q Q C2 -Q

The total charge on both capacitors is the same The total voltage across the equivalent capacitor is

Q = Q 1 = q2

V Ceq

V = V1 + V2.

capacitors is the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocal of individual capacitors.

The equivalent capacitance for series

1 1 1 1 = + + + Ceq C1 C2 C3
V
++++++++++++++ ----------------------

ENERGY STORAGE

The work required to move dq to the positively charged plate (at higher potential) is:

dW = V dq =

q dq C
q

dq +

So the total work to charge the capacitor to a final charge q = Q is:

-q

q Q2 W = dq = C 2C 0

The work done in charging the capacitor can be considered the potential energy U stored in the capacitor.

Q2 1 1 U= = QV = C V 2 2C 2 2
Electric Field Energy For a parallel plate capacitor the potential difference is related to the electric field through V = Ed, and C = 0A/d.

The volume occupied by the electric field (nonzero only between the plates) is V = Ad. So we can define the energy per unit volume in the electric field, uE = U/V, called the energy density as:

1 1 0 A U = CV 2 = (E d )2 = 1 ( 0 A d ) E 2 2 2 d 2

1 uE = 0 E 2 2
This electric field energy is not different from the electric potential energy. It is simply a different way of interpreting electric potential energy. We can regard the energy of a system of charges as being a shared property of the charges, or we can think of the energy as being a property of the electric field created by the charges. Either leads to the same value of the potential energy.

Dielectrics
Most capacitors have a nonconducting material called a dielectric filling the region between the plates. If the dielectric completely fills the space between the plates the capacitance increases by a factor K known as the dielectric constant.

C = K C0
Without the dielectric, V0 = Q0/C0 and with it V = Q0/C. So C = Q0/V = KC0 = KQ0/V0

V = V0 / K

For a parallel plate capacitor C0 = 0A/d. When filled with a dielectric we can express the capacitance as:

0 A d We can make the capacitance very large by decreasing d, but there is a practical limit to how small d can be made. When small enough the electric field strength can cause the insulating properties of the dielectric to break down and it will begin to conduct. For a given separation d, the maximum voltage that may be applied without causing discharge depends on the dielectric strength. For air this value is 3x106 V/m. Most insulators have larger dielectric strengths and dielectric constants than air.
C=K

Usefulness of Dielectric a. Increase capacitance of a capacitor b. Increases maximum operating voltage c. Can provide mechanical support between plates