Concept : Capacitors in Parallel

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The discussion focuses on understanding why the equivalent capacitance of capacitors in parallel exceeds that of individual capacitors. In a parallel configuration, the effective area of the capacitors increases, leading to a higher total capacitance. When two capacitors with the same capacitance are connected in parallel, they can store double the charge for the same voltage, effectively resulting in an equivalent capacitance that is the sum of the individual capacitances. This is due to the fact that the charge is shared among the capacitors, unlike in a series configuration. Overall, the conceptual perspective highlights that parallel capacitors enhance the total charge storage capability.
thebiggerbang
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What is the conceptual perspective of why equivalent capacitance is in parallel is more than the individual capacitance?
(assume we have a parallel network of capacitors of equal value)

I know the formulae, decoded the concept behind the eq cap in series but couldn't make any sense out of the parallel combo!
 
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thebiggerbang said:
What is the conceptual perspective of why equivalent capacitance is in parallel is more than the individual capacitance?
(assume we have a parallel network of capacitors of equal value)

I know the formulae, decoded the concept behind the eq cap in series but couldn't make any sense out of the parallel combo!

Are you familiar with the equation that is used to calculate the capacitance of a simple parallel plate capacitor?

C = \frac{\epsilon A} {d}

Where A is the plate area and d is the plate separation. What can you say about the effective area of two caps in parallel? What does that do to the capacitance C in that equation? :smile:
 
Capacitance is C = q/V .
I say, Capacitance of the capacitor in my hand is 10 Columb per Volt. Which means, If I put in 10 Columbs of charge into it I will get a voltage rise of 1 Volt.
So, If I have two such capacitors in parallel, I would have to put 20 Columb to get a voltage rise of 1 Volt.
So, two 10 columb per volt capacitor in parallel is 20 columb per volt capacitor (because, they have to share the charges (unlike series configuration))
 
I am trying to understand how transferring electric from the powerplant to my house is more effective using high voltage. The suggested explanation that the current is equal to the power supply divided by the voltage, and hence higher voltage leads to lower current and as a result to a lower power loss on the conductives is very confusing me. I know that the current is determined by the voltage and the resistance, and not by a power capability - which defines a limit to the allowable...

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