Capacitors in Circuits

🔖 Topics

• Ideal capacitors
• Ideal batteries
• Charge, voltage, and energy across an ideal capacitor
• Circuit diagrams
• Networks of capacitors

🎯 Objectives

• Model ideal batteries and ideal capacitors in a circuit
• Sketch out different configurations of capacitors in circuits
• Identify capacitors in series and parallel in a circuit
• Calculate the net capacitance of a circuit
• Calculate the net energy, charge, and voltage stored in capacitors in a circuit

📋 Sequence

• 🟢 The ideal capacitor
• 🟢 The ideal battery
• 🟣 Capacitor Plate Separation Versus Energy
• 🟢 Circuit elements
• 🟣 Capacitors in series
• 🟣 Capacitors in parallel
• 🟢 Networks of capacitors

🖥️ Animations, Simulations, Activities

• Capacitor Lab Basics

📝 Practice Problems

1. I connect a capacitor of 1.2 mF to a battery of 9.0 V. What is the total charge stored on the capacitor?
2. I connect a capacitor of 1.2 mF to a battery of 9.0 V. What is the total energy stored on the capacitor?
3. I connect three 1.2 mF capacitors in series. What is the net capacitance of the combination?
4. I connect three 1.2 mF capacitors in parallel. What is the net capacitance of the combination?
5. What is the equivalent capacitance of the diagram below? The values of the capacitors are $C_1=10mF$, $C_2=25mF$, $C_3=5mF$, and $C_4=100mF$.


✅ Partial Solutions

1. 0.011 C
2. 0.049 J
3. 0.40 mF
4. 3.6 mF
5. 10.83 mF

📘 Connected Resources

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