Capacitance

Chapter 24 of Young & Freedmans University Physics

1
Lectured by:
Jill Cabatbat
2
nd
Semester AY 2010 2011
Chapter 24-1
Capacitor and Capacitance
Capacitor
3
any two conductors separated
by an insulator (vacuum)
HOW TO CHARGE A CAPACITOR
1. Each conductor initially are
neutral.
2. Electrons are transferred from one
conductor to the other (use
battery.)
capacitor with charge Q
( )
Capacitor
Recall: Field between charged parallel plates
0 0
,
c
o
c
o
= = E
A
EA
Recall: Potential between charged parallel plates
0
c
o
=
=

= =
E
d
V
d
V V
E Ed V V
ab b a
b a
and
d
V
ab 0
c
o =
Capacitance
V
Q
A
change Q changes E changes V
ab
changes
the ratio is kept constant
This ratio is called the capacitance.
the capacity or the amount of charge that can
be stored for a given voltage
Hence,
C is a measure of the ability of a capacitor to
store energy.
Capacitance
V
Q
C
A
=
Farad (F) = unit of capacitance
1 F = 1 Coulomb per Volt (C/V)
Michael Faraday
d
A
d
A
Q
Q
V
Q
C
d
A
Q
d
A
Q
Q
V
Q
C
ab
ab
0
0
0 0
ab
Ed V
c
c
c c
o
o o
=
(

= =
= = =
= A =
=
Capacitance & Geometry
Capacitance depends only on the geometry!
d
A
C
0
c
=
d
A
C
0
c
=
Capacitance & Geometry
Parallel Plate
2
4 ( )
o
Q
E r t
c
=
4
( )
o
Q b a
C
V ab
tc

= =
A
By Gauss law,
2
4
b
a b
o a
Q
V V V dr
r t c
A = =
}
1 1
4 4
b
o o
a
Q Q
V
r b a t c tc
| |
A = =
|
\ .
Capacitance & Geometry
Spherical capacitor
PROBLEM 1
Consider a cylindrical capacitor that accumulates a
charge Q when placed in a potential difference V.
When the applied voltage across it is doubled, what
will happen to the capacitance? (C = new
capacitance, C
o
= initial capacitance)
Since Capacitance is a function of geometry
Thus, any when the voltage is DOUBLED, the charge will
also be DOUBLED, making the capacitance constant
C = C
o
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 1
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
a
b
r
r
L
C
ln
2
0
tc
Capacitance & Geometry
Cylinder
Chapter 24-2
Capacitors in series and parallel
Capacitors in Series
Total voltage (battery): V
ab
Potential drop in C
1
: V
ac
Potential drop in C
2
: V
cb
By Energy conservation,
ab ac cb
V V V = +
For a series circuit:
Since in capacitors, Q = CV then
1
1
C
ac
Q
V
C
=
2
2
C
cb
Q
V
C
=
1 2
1 2
C C
ac
Q Q
V
C C
= +
Capacitors in Series
The charge Q in the
capacitors is the SAME. 1 2 TOT C C
Q Q Q = =
C
1
C
2
Q
TOT
For a series circuit:
Q Q
*Sizes of the capacitors mean C1 not
equal to C2
Total charge through the circuit has
NO choice but to pass through all
capacitors
Therefore, in series
1 1
1 2
C C
ab
Q Q
V
C C
= +
TOT
ab
EQ
Q
V
C
=
1 2
1 1 1
EQ
C C C
= +
And note that
charge is
constant in series
circuit
1 1
i
EQ i
C C
=

Capacitors in Series
1 2 ab C C
V V V = =
Both capacitors are directly
connected to the battery thus
Total voltage (battery): V
ab
Potential drop in C
1
: V
ac
Potential drop in C
2
: V
cb
For a parallel circuit:
C
1
C
2
V
ab
V
ab
Capacitors in Parallel
By Charge conservation,
1 2 TOT C C
Q Q Q = +
C
1
C
2
Q
TOT
Q
C1
Q
C2
For a parallel circuit:
Total charge through the circuit can
pass through any capacitors to
complete the circuit
Q
TOT
The charge Q in the capacitor is
the ADDITIVE.
*Sizes of the capacitors mean
C1 not equal to C2
Capacitors in Parallel
eq i
i
C C =

1 2 eq
C C C = +
TOT
ab
EQ
Q
V
C
=
1 2 TOT C C
Q Q Q = +
1 1 2 2 EQ ab C C
C V CV C V = +
And note that voltage is
constant in parallel
circuit
Capacitors in Parallel
In the network of capacitors shown in the figure, all
capacitors have 4-uF capacitance. What is the effective
capacitance across points a and b?
a b
PROBLEM 2
a b
C3
C2
C1
1
4 C uF =
1
2
1 1
4 4
C
uF uF

| |
= +
|
\ .
1
3
1 1 1
4 4 4
C
uF uF uF

| |
= + +
|
\ .
1 2 3
22
3
eff
C C C C uF = + + =
We seek to find C1, C2 and
C3 first. Then since they
are in parallel, C
EQ
is just
the summation of these
capacitances
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 2
Two parallel capacitors shown below can be
represented by a single equivalent capacitor. If the potential
difference between points a and b is V
ab
= 20V, what is the
charge magnitude on the plates of the single equivalent
capacitor?
a b
C
1
= 4uF
C
2
= 2uF
PROBLEM 3
a b
C
1
= 4uF
C
2
= 2uF
a b
C
ab
= 6uF
1 2
6
ab
C C C F = + =
120
ab ab ab
Q V C C = =
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 3
A multi-plate capacitor consists of four parallel plates
arranged one above the other as shown below. The area of
each plate is A, and the distance between adjacent plates is
d. draw the schematic circuit diagram of the multi-plate.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A (-) B (+)
PROBLEM 4
It is not quite obvious, but there are THREE capacitors as
there are THREE pairs of positive and negative parallel plates.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A (-) B (+)
A (-)
B (+)
All the negative plates are connected to A (-) while positive
plates are connected to B (+). Thus the capacitors are all
connected in PARALLEL.
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 4
Chapter 24-3
Energy Storage in Capacitors
and Electric-Field Energy
Charging a capacitor
The amount of work needed to charge a capacitor is equal to the electrical potential energy
E
done by F U Work A =
q
v
C
=
Work done
dW vdq =
2
0 0
1
2
Q
W
Q
W dW qdq
C C
= = =
} }
The instantaneous work changes as charge
increases during the charging process
Where v and q are the instantaneous
voltage and charge respectively.
In ideal situation, the same work done by F
E
to DISCHARGE
a capacitor is EQUAL to work done in charging it.
The work done in charging a
capacitor
2
2
Q
W
C
=
Equivalently
2
2
1 1
2 2 2
Q
W CV QV
C
= = =
Electric field energy density
Energy density
E
electrical
u
unit volume
energy

=
Where:
2
1
2
E
CV
u
Ad
=
A is the plate area
d is the separation distance
2
1
2
E o
u E c =
In vacuum
V = Ed
C =
o
A/d in vacuum
Where:
PROBLEM 5
A. If C1 is initially fully charged by connecting it to
120V battery, what is the charge stored in C1 if
the switch S remains open?
B. What is the energy initially stored in C1 if the
switch S is open?
A. Since S is open, C1 is isolated
from C2, the charge is just:
B. The energy initially stored in C1
if the switch S is open is,
1 1
960
C o
Q CV C = =
1 1
1
0 058
2
.
C C o
U Q V J = =
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 5
C. The capacitor C2 is initially uncharged. If the switch S is
then closed, compare the potential for each capacitor.
D. The capacitor C2 is initially uncharged. If the switch S is
closed, what is the charge stored in each capacitor?
PROBLEM 6
1 2
120
C C
V V V = =
When S is closed, the two
capacitors are now connected in
parallel
1 1 1
960
C C
Q CV C = =
2 2 2
480
C C
Q C V C = =
The charge stored in
each capacitor is
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 6
A. Two capacitors with C
1
= C and C
2
= 2C are
connected in parallel across a battery with
voltage V
o
. What is the potential energy stored in
each capacitor? What is the total energy stored
in the two capacitor?
PROBLEM 7
1 2 C C o
V V V = =
2
1 1 1
1
2
C C
U CV =
2
2 2 2
1
2
C C
U C V =
In each capacitors,
2
1
1
2
C o
U CV =
( )
2
2
1
2
2
C o
U C V =
Total energy
stored
( )
2
1
2
TOT eq o
U C V =
( )
2
1
3
2
TOT o
U C V =
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 7
B. This time, the two capacitors with C
1
= C and C
2
= 2C
are connected in series across a battery with voltage
V
o
. What is the potential energy stored in each
capacitor? What is the total energy stored in the two
capacitor?
PROBLEM 8
B. This time, the two capacitors with C
1
= C and C
2
= 2C
are connected in series across a battery with voltage
V
o
. What is the potential energy stored in each
capacitor? What is the total energy stored in the two
capacitor?
Charge is the same for a
series circuit,
1 2 TOT C C
Q Q Q = =
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 8
2
1
1
1
1
2
C
C
Q
U
C
=
1
1 2
1 1 2
3
eq
C C
C C

| |
= + =
|
\ .
Charge is the same for a
series circuit,
The total capacitance,
2 2
1 1 2
2 2 3
TOT eq o o
U C V C V
| |
= =
|
\ .
The total stored energy,
The charge in each
capacitor,
1 2 TOT C C eq o
Q Q Q C V = = =
The energy stored in each
capacitor
2
2
2
2
1
2
C
C
Q
U
C
=
2
1
1 4
2 9
C o
C
U V
| |
=
|
\ .
2
1
1 2
2 9
C o
C
U V
| |
=
|
\ .
A fully charged parallel plate capacitor stores
an energy of density 50 J/cm
2
between its plates.
What is the magnitude of the electric field
between the plates?
PROBLEM 9
A fully charged parallel plate capacitor stores
an energy of density 50 J/cm
2
between its plates.
What is the magnitude of the electric field
between the plates?
2 2
1
50
2
/
E o
u E J cm c = =
10

o
E
c
=
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 9
then removing the voltage
source
Dielectric/Insulator in Electric Field
Consider charging a
capacitor by applying
potential difference
then inserting an insulator/dielectric
between the plates
What happens to the electric field in a region if
we fill that region with insulator/dielectric?
Dielectric/Insulator in Electric Field
What happens to the electric field in a region if we fill that region
with insulator?
There is electric field
between the plates
Dielectric/Insulator in Electric Field
There is electric field
between the plates
Dielectric/Insulator in Electric Field
The molecules of the dielectric will be polarized
and they will produce their own electric field in the OPPOSITE
direction.
Net Electric Field is reduced!
1 : constant dielectric ;
0
> = k
k
E
E
Capacitance & Dielectric
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Capacitor_schematic_with_dielectric.svg
k k
kc c
k k
k
k k
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
0 0
2
1
2
1 u E
E u
C
V
Q
V
Q
V
Q
C
V
d
E
Ed V
=
|
.
|

\
|
= =
=
A
=
|
.
|

\
|
A
=
A
=
A
= = = A
As a result
( ) ( )
R R C
r r
r r
r r
r r
C
r
r
L
r
r
L
C
d
A
d
A
C
a b
b a
a b
b a
a
b
a
b
tc tkc
tc tkc
tc tkc
c kc
4 4
4 4
ln
2
ln
2
0
0
0
0
= =

=
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
= =
Capacitance & Dielectric
Capacitance & Dielectric
0
C C k =
0
kc c =
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Capacitor_schematic_with_dielectric.svg
k
0
E
E =
k
0
V
V
A
= A
A parallel plate capacitor with vacuum in between the
plates is kept connected to a constant voltage source. If a
dielectric is inserted between the plates, the ___________
will not change.
A. Capacitance
B. Electric field between the plates
C. Magnitude of charge on either plates
D. Surface charge density on either plates
E. None of the above
PROBLEM 10
A parallel plate capacitor with vacuum in between the
plates is kept connected to a constant voltage source. If a
dielectric is inserted between the plates, the ___________
will not change.
B. Electric field between the plates
Since electric field is only related to the voltage and to
the distance between the plates
V
E
d
A
=
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 10
The voltage across the plates of an isolated charged
capacitor decreases from 4 V to 0.8 V when a dielectric is
inserted between the capacitor plates. If the final capacitance
value is 50nF, what is its initial value?
PROBLEM 11
The voltage across the plates of an isolated charged
capacitor decreases from 4 V to 0.8 V when a dielectric is
inserted between the capacitor plates. If the final capacitance
value is 50nF, what is its initial value?
Since the capacitor is
ISOLATED,
dielectric dielectric

with without
Q Q =
with with without without
C V C V =
50 0 8
10
4
( )( . )
without
nF V
C nF
V
= =
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 11
A dielectric with dielectric constant K fills 1/3 of the volume
enclosed by a parallel plate capacitor in vacuum with area A and
plate separation d. what is the effective capacitance of the
system?

PROBLEM 12

C
w/o
C
w
/ eff w o w
C C C = +
Since the capacitors are in parallel,
2 1
3 3
o o
eff
A K A
C
d d
c c
| | | |
| |
\ . \ .
= +
( )
2
3
o
eff
A
C K
d
c
= +
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 12
A dielectric with dielectric constant K fills a portion of volume
enclosed by a parallel plate capacitor in vacuum with area A and
plate separation d. What is the effective capacitance of the
system?

PROBLEM 13
1
3
1 2
1 1
eff
C C
C C

| |
= + +
|
\ .
( )
( )
1
2
2
o
A
C
d
c
=
/
/
( )
( )
2
2
2
o
A
C
d
kc
=
/
/
( )
3
2
o
A
C
d
c
=
/
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 13
C
2

C
1
C
3
C
2
1
3
1 2
1 1
eff
C C
C C

| |
= + +
|
\ .

C
1
C
3
1 2
o o
eff
A A
C
d d
c c k
k
| |
= +
|
+
\ .
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 13
C
1
C
2
C
1
C
2
a
b
S
Consider the circuit below with C
1
= C and C
2
= 2C. If the
capacitors are initially uncharged and are connected with switch S
open. The applied voltage is 100V.
What is the effective
capacitance between
points a and b?
PROBLEM 14
C
12
C
12
a
b
C
1
C
2
C
1
C
2
a
b
S
C
eq
a
b
1
12
1 2
1 1
C
C C

| |
= +
|
\ .
1
12 12
1 2
1 1
2
eq
C C C
C C

| |
= + = +
|
\ .
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 14
C
1
C
2
C
1
C
2
a
b
S
Consider the circuit below with C
1
= C and C
2
= 2C. If the
capacitors are initially uncharged and are connected with switch S
open. The applied voltage is 100V.
Switch S is then
closed. What is the
effective capacitance
between a and b?
PROBLEM 15
C
1
C
2
C
1
C
2
a
b
S
C
eq
a
b
12 1 2
C C C = +
1
12
12 12
1 1
2
eq
C
C
C C

| |
= + =
|
\ .
C
12
a
b
C
12
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 15