Understanding the Concept of Capacitor: Q&A

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SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies the relationship between charge, voltage, and capacitance in capacitors, specifically addressing the misconception that increasing potential difference decreases capacitance. It establishes that capacitance (C) is defined by the equation Q=CV, where Q is charge and V is voltage. If the charge remains constant while the voltage increases, the capacitance does not decrease; rather, the charge on the plates will increase to maintain equilibrium. The analogy of a water container illustrates how pressure (voltage) affects the flow of charge (water) into the capacitor.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic electrical concepts, including voltage, charge, and capacitance.
  • Familiarity with the equation Q=CV and its implications in circuit analysis.
  • Knowledge of circuit elements and their properties, particularly capacitors.
  • Basic grasp of analogies in physics to relate concepts effectively.
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  • Study the behavior of capacitors in AC circuits and their reactance.
  • Learn about the different types of capacitors and their applications in electronic circuits.
  • Explore the effects of resistance and impedance on capacitor charging and discharging times.
  • Investigate the role of capacitors in energy storage and filtering applications.
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Electronics students, electrical engineers, and anyone interested in understanding capacitor functionality and its applications in circuits.

Karan Punjabi
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Guys, I am learning about the concept of capacitor,but I am confused in some things that if i kept the amount of charge constant between two plates of a capacitor and then increase the potential diff. this means that i decreased its capacitance right? If I am wrong then please explain the given concept that i have uploaded in the pic.
 

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The capacitance is a property of the circuit element in question - it's usually marked right on it. We have Q=CV, so if you increase the potential difference, the amount of charge will increase.

Your image shows up too small to read on my monitor.
 
pixel said:
The capacitance is a property of the circuit element in question - it's usually marked right on it. We have Q=CV, so if you increase the potential difference, the amount of charge will increase. ...See this

Your image shows up too small to read on my monitor.
 
No, you don't decrease the capacitance.
Why ?
If you keep the amount of charge on the capacitor constant, then you cannot change the voltage across it.
And if you change the voltage across it the charge on the plates will increase.
There is no way of circumventing that.

A little analogy:
If you had a container of water with a tube at the bottom of it, what happens when you increase the pressure in the tube ?
Water flows into the container until some point, at which the pressure due to the height is equal to the pressure in the pipe.
A capacitor works similarly. (this analogy certainly isn't perfect, especially since there are two kinds of charge and only one kind of pressure)
If you apply a voltage to a capacitor, charges will flow onto it until the voltage across it is the same as from the voltage across the source connected to it.

When you accumulate like charges in some space their potential energy increases(since they repell each other).And since voltage is just energy per charge, the (value of) voltage also increases.
So if you stuff more charge on a capacitor the voltage across it will rise, regardless of what it is connected to.
The reason why we can say ##C=\frac{Q}{V}## is that when you apply a voltage to the capacitor the amount of charge ##Q=V*C## will be on it, once it reaches equillibrium.(which it usually does insanely fast, unless you have very high resistors, impedances or capacitances in the circuit)
EDIT: I hope you understand what i am getting at.I realized that i wrote it somewhat strange and confusing.
 
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