On circuits you will either find capacitors connected in parallel or series and maybe both ways to form networks.
When capacitors are connected side to side one after the other it is called a series connection and if you they are also connected ends to end like for example connecting two capacitors together with their negative terminals attached to one point and their positive terminals connected to a point this type of network is called a parallel connection. So in this tutorial we gonna study how current flows between the capacitors under the two different types of connection and their total capacitance.
Types of capacitors connections.
1.series connection.
Series connection is the type of connection in which electronics components(e.g capacitors) are connected side by side.
When capacitors are connected in series, the total capacitance is smaller than each of them because the net distance between the two plates are made bigger thus reducing capacitance.
Example:
Calculate the total resistance in the circuit below.
1/CT= 1/c1+1/c2+1/c3
=(1/100+1/220+1/470)uF
=(0.01+0.0045+0.00212)uF
1/CT =0.0166uf
CT =60.24uf✔️
In the calculation of the total capacitors of the circuit above you can then understand that the total capacitance is less than the least capacitance in the circuit, because they are connected in series.
When capacitors are connected in series the current passing through each of them is the same, but the voltage drop across each of them is different.
Hence if the total current supplied to three capacitors in series is 10A, then current across c1= current across C2= current across c3
2.parralel connection.
When capacitors are connected end to end this type of circuit is a parralel connection.
Capacitors connected in parallel have their total capacitance greater than each of them, for example if three capacitors are connected together each of 5 Faraday the total capacitance will be more than 13F.
Total capacitance of capacitors in parallel is calculated with the formular:
CT= C1+C2+C3+C4+Cn+.........
Examples;
calculate the total capacitance in the diagram below.
Solution.
CT= c1+c2+c3.
= (1+2+1)uF
= 4uF✔️
When capacitors are connected in parallel, the total capacitance of the capacitors is much more than the highest capacitance of each connected together.
Energy stored in a capacitor.
Energy is stored on a capacitor when it is connected to a power supply, charges builds up at the plates.
The flash light of a camera is powered by capacitors, the energy stored by a capacitor depends on the size of it plates, distance between the plates, the material use to make it plates and the dielectric materials in it.
The amount of charge stored on a plate is related to the it capacitance and voltage by the formular,
Q= CV
Where Q stands for charge,
C stands for capacitance
V stands for voltage.
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Capacitance is measured in farad, charge is measured in coloumbs and voltage is measured in volts.
Also, Energy stored in a capacitor is calculated by the formular E=1/2CV^2.
And energy is measured in joules.
Tags:
Basic Electronics