Simple Capacitor System Question

[NoranPrease]

How does one go about 'compressing' a capacitor system?

                  -------| 1 |--------| 2 |----------| 3 |------------------------
                                 |                                       |
                                 |                                       |
                                 |----| 4 |-----------| 5 |--------------|

 

[mfb]

You can "draw" like that with [noparse]

[/noparse]-tags:
[code]
                   -------| 1 |--------| 2 |----------| 3 |--------------
                                 |                                       |
                                 |                                       |
                                 |----| 4 |-----------| 5 |--------------|

Start with elements you recognize? You can combine 2 and 3, for example.

 

[NoranPrease]

So it would 'compress' into something like

                  -------| 1 |------------| 2+3 |---------------------
                                 |                            |
                                 |                            |
                                 |--------| 4+5 |-------------|

 

[mfb]

I would not use "+" signs there, but it is the right approach. This allows another simplification now, and afterwards you can do a third and get a single effective capacitor.