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A capacitor is an electronic component that stores electric charge. It is made of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric.
When a voltage is applied to a capacitor, it stores electric charge on its plates. The amount of charge it can hold is determined by its capacitance, which is measured in farads. The higher the capacitance, the more charge it can store.
The main types of capacitors include ceramic, electrolytic, film, and tantalum capacitors. Each type has different characteristics and is used for different purposes, such as filtering, energy storage, and signal coupling.
The capacitance of a capacitor can be calculated by dividing the charge stored on its plates by the applied voltage. It can also be calculated by multiplying the area of the plates by the distance between them and dividing by the permittivity of the dielectric material.
Capacitors have a wide range of applications in electronic circuits, including power supply filtering, tuning and filtering in radio circuits, and energy storage in flash cameras and defibrillators. They are also used in electronic equipment for power factor correction and motor starting.
