The discussion centers around the behavior of capacitors in electrical circuits, specifically addressing why current can flow when a capacitor is connected to a voltage source, despite the common understanding that current requires a closed circuit. Participants explore the role of capacitors, their charging mechanism, and their applications in various circuit conditions.
Participants express multiple competing views regarding the necessity and function of capacitors, and the discussion remains unresolved with differing interpretations of their role in circuits.
Some statements reflect assumptions about circuit behavior that may not be universally accepted, and there are unresolved questions regarding the definitions and implications of capacitance and current flow.
The plates in the capacitor allow room for the charges to accumulate that a simple wire does not. As long as the charge can continue to flow into the capacitor plate, it seems just like they are going through on a normal wire. Once the capacitor plate is filled up, the charge stops flowing. If the charge changes direction, the accumulated charge flows back out and once again appears as though it is going through a normal wire. So the capacitor plates provide a storage area for charges to come and go. If the charge changes direction often (high frequency), a capacitor acts very much like a simple wire. If the charge doesn't change direction often (low frequency), the capacitor acts more like a disconnected wire (higher resistance).Janez said:Why do we need capacitator then? If the wires are metalic and we have voltage source, we just disconnect wires at some point and wires should get charge on them?
That is too simplistic. If the Capacitor is in a 'black box', you can measure a current flowing into the + terminal and out of the - terminal. If you looked at just the instantaneous current (a single quick reading of IN and OUT)) you would not know what component was in the box and you could even conclude that it was a resistor (of an appropriate value). HOWEVER, over time, the current flowing would be changing (and the PD across it). The slower the changes, the greater the Capcitance.Janez said:if for current to flow, there most be closed wire,
We 'need' Capacitors because we can use this time dependence of Current and PD to cause phase changes, frequency selectivity and timing delays in a circuit which you just can't do with resistors alone.Janez said:Why do we need capacitator then?
Disconnected wires are a capacitor but with very low capacity. If we need more capacity, and we often do, we need to increase the area of the electrodes, bring them close together, and replace air with a better material. All of these increase the capacity.Janez said:Why do we need capacitator then? If the wires are metalic and we have voltage source, we just disconnect wires at some point and wires should get charge on them?
If and when you ever study electric circuits you will quickly see why we need caps.Janez said:Why do we need capacitator then?