Summary of Chapter 6: Capacitors and Dielectrics
Capacitors in Series
When two or more capacitors are connected in series, each has the same
magnitude of charge:
Qeq= Q1 = Q2 = Q3
The potential difference between the terminals of the battery is equal to
sum of each potential across each capacitor:
V = V1 + V2 + V3
The equivalent capacitance of a series combination is always less than any
individual capacitance in the combination and can be found using the
equation:
1/Ceq = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + 1/C3
Capacitors in Parallel
When capacitors are connected in parallel, the equivalent charge of the
circuit equals the sum of each capacitor's charge:
Qeq = Q1 + Q2 + Q3
The potential difference across one capacitor equals the potential
difference across any other capacitor as well as the potential difference
across the battery:
V = V1 = V2 = V3
The equivalent capacitance of a circuit connected in parallel equals:
Ceq = C1 + C2 + C3
Dielectrics
When a dielectric material is placed between the plates of a
capacitor, the capacitance generally increases by a dimensionless factor
(k) called the dielectric constant. Co is the capacitance in the absence
of the dielectric.
C = k * Co
This page was created by Lea Alice Lancaster.