Impedance of a Capacitor

In summary, the expert summarizer has provided a summary of the conversation regarding the impedance of a capacitor in an audio circuit. The equation for the impedance of a capacitor was discussed, as well as how it affects high frequency energy. The conversation then shifted to the magnitude of impedance for a capacitor in parallel with a fixed resistor, and how it relates to higher frequencies. The expert summarizer then clarified a nomenclature mistake and provided their understanding of the total impedance for the circuit. The conversation ended with a discussion of a high pass filter and the reworking of equations to better understand the frequency response.
  • #1
flash
68
0
I know the impedance of a capacitor is,

[tex]
\frac {1}{j \omega C}
[/tex]

so in an audio circuit it let's more high frequency energy through, which is obvious looking at the equation. When a capacitor is in parallel with a fixed resistor, I worked out the magnitude of the impedance of the pair to be

[tex]
\frac{R \omega C}{\sqrt{R^2 + (\omega C)^2}}
[/tex]

and this pair should still have lower impedance at higher frequencies, right?
So my question is, how does this expression reflect this? I just can't see it.
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
flash said:
I know the impedance of a capacitor is,

[tex]
\frac {1}{j \omega C}
[/tex]

so in an audio circuit it let's more high frequency energy through, which is obvious looking at the equation. When a capacitor is in series with a fixed resistor, I worked out the magnitude of the impedance of the pair to be

[tex]
\frac{R \omega C}{\sqrt{R^2 + (\omega C)^2}}
[/tex]

and this pair should still have lower impedance at higher frequencies, right?
So my question is, how does this expression reflect this? I just can't see it.

first caps and inductors have reactance, the resistance plus reactance is the impedance of the circuit. just correcting a nomenclature mistake.

second i have no idea how you got that for the total impedance of the circuit

[tex]
V=I|Z|[/tex]

[tex]
|Z|= \sqrt{R^2 + (\chi _c)^2}}[/tex]
[tex]
|Z|= \sqrt{R^2 + (\frac{1}{j \omega C})^2}}
[/tex]

as you see with omega in the denominator as freq goes down impedance goes to infinity
 
Last edited:
  • #3
ice109 said:
second i have no idea how you got that for the total impedance of the circuit
ahhh i meant parallel, sorry

I got it like this:
[tex]
\frac {1}{Z_eq} = \frac {1}{R} + \frac {1}{j \omega C}
[/tex]

[tex]
Z_eq = \frac {R \omega C}{R + j \omega C}
[/tex]

[tex]
|Z_eq| = \frac {R \omega C}{\sqrt{R^2 + ( \omega C )^2}}
[/tex]

Thanks for your help with this.

edit: should the second term in the first equation be jwC, not 1 on? could be my problem :confused:
 
Last edited:
  • #4
flash said:
ahhh i meant parallel, sorry

I got it like this:
[tex]
\frac {1}{Z_eq} = \frac {1}{R} + \frac {1}{j \omega C}
[/tex]

[tex]
Z_eq = \frac {R \omega C}{R + j \omega C}
[/tex]

[tex]
|Z_eq| = \frac {R \omega C}{\sqrt{R^2 + ( \omega C )^2}}
[/tex]

Thanks for your help with this.

edit: should the second term in the first equation be jwC, not 1 on? could be my problem :confused:
a high pass filter is a cap and a resistor in series though
 
  • #5
The circuit I'm working on has a number of capacitors that can be switched in parallel with a resistor to give different frequency response depending on which one you select.

I reworked the above as:
[tex]
\frac {1}{z_{eq}} = \frac {1}{R} + j \omega C
[/tex]

which gives
[tex]
|z_{eq}| = \frac {R}{\sqrt{1 + ( \omega CR)^2}}
[/tex]
 
Last edited:

What is the definition of impedance?

Impedance is a measure of the overall opposition to the flow of alternating current (AC) in a circuit. It is represented by the symbol Z and is measured in ohms.

What is the relationship between impedance and capacitance?

Impedance and capacitance are inversely proportional. This means that as capacitance increases, impedance decreases, and vice versa. This relationship is expressed by the equation Z = 1/(2πfC), where Z is impedance, f is frequency, and C is capacitance.

How does the impedance of a capacitor change with frequency?

The impedance of a capacitor decreases as frequency increases. This is because as frequency increases, the reactance of the capacitor increases, causing the overall impedance to decrease. This is represented by the equation Z = 1/(2πfC).

What is the phase relationship between voltage and current in a capacitor?

In a capacitor, the voltage leads the current by 90 degrees. This means that at any given time, the voltage and current will be out of phase with each other by 90 degrees. This phase relationship is due to the way a capacitor stores and releases charge.

How is the impedance of a capacitor calculated in a series or parallel circuit?

In a series circuit, the impedance of a capacitor is calculated by adding the individual impedance values of all components in the circuit. In a parallel circuit, the impedance of a capacitor is calculated by taking the inverse of the sum of the inverses of all impedance values in the circuit.

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