A capacitor consists of two conductors ( Some cases it

could be a single conductor ). These conductors are

called plates. When the conductor is charged, the plates
carry charges of equal magnitude and opposite signs.
A potential difference exists between the plates due to the
charge.
The capacitance, C, of a capacitor is defined as the ratio
of the magnitude of the charge on either conductor to
the potential difference between the conductors.

The SI unit of capacitance is the farad (F).

The farad is a large unit, typically you will see
microfarads (µF) and picofarads (pF).
➢ Capacitance will always be a positive quantity
➢ The capacitance of a given capacitor is constant.
➢ The capacitance is a measure of the capacitor’s ability to store charge .
➢ The capacitance of a capacitor is the amount of charge the capacitor can store per unit
of potential difference (You may need to remember heat capacity: the
➢ amount of energy an object can store)

Parallel Plate Capacitor

The battery is a source of potential difference.
If the capacitor is initially uncharged, the battery
establishes an electric field in the connecting wires
This field applies a force on electrons in the wire just outside of the
plates.
The force causes the electrons to move onto the negative plate.
This continues until equilibrium is achieved. The plate, the wire and
the terminal are all at the same potential. At this point, there is no field
present in the wire and the movement of the electrons ceases
The plate is now negatively charged. A similar
process occurs at the other plate, electrons
moving away from the plate and leaving it
positively charged. In its final configuration, the
potential difference across the capacitor plates is
the same as that between the terminals of the
battery.
26.2 Calculating Capacitance

Parallel-Plate Capacitors The Cylindrical Capacitor The Spherical Capacitor

 1) Parallel-Plate Capacitors

The charge density on the plates is σ = Q/A. A is the area of

each plate, the area of each plate is equal .
Q is the charge on each plate, equal with opposite signs
𝜎
The electric field is uniform between the plates ( E= ) and
𝜀0
zero elsewhere
2) The Cylindrical Capacitor
Note that if you increase a or decrease b, this will
bring the conductors closer together ➔
capacitance increases. How would this compare
to the parallel plate capacitor?
3) The Spherical Capacitor

Take a special case of example 26.2 as b ∞

the capacitance of an isolated spherical conductor.

 A second approach : although the most common situation
is that of two conductors, a single conductor also has a
capacitance. For example, imagine a single spherical,
charged conductor
For example, imagine a single spherical, charged
conductor. The electric field lines around this conductor
are exactly the same as
if there were a conducting, spherical shell of infinite or
radius, concentric with the sphere and carrying a charge was
of the same magnitude but opposite sign. Therefore, we
can identify the imaginary shell as the second conductor
of a two-conductor
capacitor. The electric potential of the sphere of radius a
is simply keQ /a (see Section 25.6), and setting V=0, for
the infinitely large shell gives
Circuit Symbols
➢ A circuit diagram is a simplified representation of an actual
circuit.
➢ Circuit symbols are used to represent the various elements.
➢ Lines are used to represent wires.
➢ The battery’s positive terminal is indicated by the longer
line.

26.3 Combinations of Capacitors

I ) Capacitors in Parallel
When capacitors are first connected in the circuit,
electrons are transferred from the left plates
through the battery to the right plate, leaving the
left plate positively charged and the right plate
negatively charged.
1. The flow of charges ceases when the voltage across the capacitors equals that of the battery.
2. The potential difference across the capacitors is the same. And each is equal to the voltage of
the battery
3. ∆𝑉1 = ∆𝑉2 = ∆V , where ∆V is the battery terminal voltage
4. The capacitors reach their maximum charge when the flow of charge ceases.
5. The total charge is equal to the sum of the charges on the capacitors. Qtot = Q1 + Q2

Thus :
II ) Capacitors in Series
When a battery is connected to the circuit, electrons are
transferred from the left plate of 𝐶1 to the right plate of
𝐶2 through the battery.

As this negative charge accumulates on the right plate of C2,

an equivalent amount of negative charge is
forced off the left plate of C2, and this left plate therefore has
an excess positive charge.
The negative charge leaving the left plate of C2 causes
negative charges to accumulate on the right plate of C1. As a
result, both right plates end up with a charge -Q and both left
plates end up with a charge +Q . Therefore, the charges
on capacitors connected in series are the same:
𝑸𝟏 = 𝑸𝟐 = 𝑸
 26.4 Energy Stored in a Charged Capacitor

1) Before the switch is closed, the energy is

stored as
chemical energy in the battery.
2) When the switch is closed, the energy is
transformed
from chemical potential energy to electric
potential
energy.
3) The electric potential energy is related to the
separation of the positive and negative
charges on the plates

A capacitor can be described as a device

that stores energy as well as charge.
Assume the capacitor is being charged and, at some
point, has a charge q on it. The work needed to
transfer a charge from one plate to the other is
 26.5: Capacitors with Dielectrics
A dielectric is a nonconducting material that, when placed between the plates of
a capacitor, increases the capacitance.
▪ Dielectrics include rubber, glass, and waxed paper
Two important Notes:
• If the capacitor remains connected to a battery, the voltage across the capacitor
necessarily remains the same.
• If the capacitor is disconnected from the battery, the capacitor is an isolated
system and the charge remains the same.
Now, we need to investigate the effect of
inserting a dielectric material between the
plates of a capacitor.
Assume a charged capacitor (disconnected from the
battery!) without dielectric that has a charge 𝑄0 as shown.
After inserting the dielectric: - the charge remains unchanged.

The potential difference becomes

Because κ >1 , the capacitance increases by the factor κ when the dielectric
completely fills the region between the plates.

In theory, d could
be made very d is limited by the
small to create a electric discharge that
very large could occur though the
capacitance. dielectric medium
In practice, there separating the plates
is a limit to d
For a given d, the maximum voltage that can
be applied to a capacitor without causing a
discharge depends on the dielectric strength
(maximum electric field) of the dielectric.
If the magnitude of the electric field in the
dielectric exceeds the dielectric strength, the
insulating properties break down and the
dielectric begins to conduct

Dielectrics provide the following advantages:

▪ Increase in capacitance
▪ Increase the maximum operating voltage
▪ Possible mechanical support between the
plates
- This allows the plates to be close together
without touching.
- This decreases d and increases C.
When the dielectric is inserted, it
is pulled into the device. To keep
the dielectric from accelerating,
an external agent must do
negative work on the dielectric.
Therefore W is negative!
26.6 Electric Dipole in an Electric Field

An electric dipole consists of two charges of equal

magnitude and opposite sign separated by a distance of 2a

The electric dipole moment : 𝒑 = 𝟐𝒂𝒒

𝒑 directed from - q toward + q along the line joining the charges
Remember :
❖ Electric field of a dipole is opposite to the dipole
❖ Electric field of a dipole along an axis vertical to its
canter is given by :
26.7 An Atomic Description of Dielectrics

∆𝑉0
Remember : with a dielectric material ( ∆𝑉 = )
𝑘

The average positions of the positive and negative charges act as

point charges.
SO : polar molecules can be modeled as electric dipoles