AC Circuits

Capacitors and Inductors

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 Capacitors
A capacitor is a passive element designed to store energy in
its electric field.

A capacitor consists of two conducting plates separated by an

insulator (or dielectric).
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 Capacitors
Capacitance C is the ratio of the charge q on one plate of a
capacitor to the voltage difference v between the two plates,
measured in farads (F).

qC v A
and C
d
Where is the permittivity of the dielectric material between the
plates, A is the surface area of each plate, d is the distance between
the plates.
Unit: F, pF (1012), nF (109), and F (106)

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 Capacitors

If i is flowing into the +ve terminal of

C
Charging => i is +ve
Discharging => i is ve

The current-voltage relationship of capacitor according to

above convention is (current is the time rate of change of
voltage)
dv 1 t
i dq / dt C
dt
and v
C i d t v(t )
t0
0

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 Capacitors
Power delivered to the circuit element

The energy, w, stored in the capacitor is: capacitor that initially has
V(t0) = 0, then, energy is zero. If voltage changes from o to V from time t 0
to t, then energy delivered is;
1
w Cv 2

This is energy stored in the capacitance which can be

2
delivered to the circuit.
A capacitor is
an open circuit to dc (dv/dt = 0). They act as open circuit for
steady state DC voltages. If voltage remains constant, q is
constant and current is zero..
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 Capacitors
The current through a 100-F capacitor is

i(t) = 50 sin(120 t) mA.

Calculate the voltage across it at t =1 ms and t = 5 ms. Take v(0) =0.

Answer:
v(1ms) = 93.14mV
v(5ms) = 1.7361V
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 Series and Parallel Capacitors
The equivalent capacitance of N parallel-connected capacitors is
the sum of the individual capacitances.

Ceq C1 C2 ... C N

Current Divider Rule

C1 C2
i1 is i2 is
C1 C2 C1 C2

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 Series and Parallel Capacitors
The equivalent capacitance of N series-connected capacitors is
the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the individual
capacitances.

1 1 1 1
...
Ceq C1 C2 CN

Voltage Divider Rule

C2 C1
v1 vs v2 vs
C1 C2 C1 C2

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 Series and Parallel Capacitors
Find the equivalent capacitance seen at the terminals of the circuit
in the circuit shown below:

Answer:
Ceq = 40F

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 Series and Parallel Capacitors
Find the voltage across each of the capacitors in the circuit
shown below:

Answer:
v1 = 30V
v2 = 30V
v3 = 10V
v4 = 20V

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 Inductors
An inductor is a passive element designed to store energy in
its magnetic field.

An inductor consists of a coil of conducting wire.

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 Inductors
Inductance is the property whereby an inductor exhibits
opposition to the change of current flowing through it,
measured in henrys (H).

di N A
2
vL L
dt and
l

is the inductor core permeability

The unit of inductors is Henry (H), mH (103) and H (106).

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 Inductors
The current-voltage relationship of an inductor:

1 t
i v (t ) d t i (t 0 )
L t0

The energy stored by an inductor:

1
w L i2
2
An inductor acts like a short circuit to dc (di/dt = 0).

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 Inductors
The terminal voltage of a 2-H inductor is
v = 10(1-t) V

Find the current flowing through it at t = 4 s and

the energy stored in it within 0 < t < 4 s.

Assume i(0) = 2 A.

Answer:
i(4s) = -18A
w(4s) = 320J

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 Series Inductors
The equivalent inductance of series-connected inductors is the
sum of the individual inductances.

Leq L1 L2 ... LN
Voltage Divider Rule

L1 L2
v1 vs v2 vs
L1 L2 L1 L2

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 Parallel Inductors
The equivalent capacitance of parallel inductors is the reciprocal of
the sum of the reciprocals of the individual inductances.

1 1 1 1
...
Current Divider Rule Leq L1 L2 LN

L2 L1
i1 is i2 is
L1 L2 L1 L2

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 Series and Parallel Inductor
Calculate the equivalent inductance for the inductive ladder
network in the circuit shown below:

Answer:
Leq = 25mH

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 Current and voltage relationship
Current and voltage relationship for R, L, C

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