Why do we want to know how much a charge can be stored /V?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the relationship between voltage and charge storage in capacitors, exploring the concept of capacitance and the motivations behind understanding how much charge can be stored per volt. It touches on theoretical and conceptual aspects of electrical principles.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the motivation for understanding the relationship between charge storage and voltage in capacitors.
  • One participant expresses confusion about the explanation of capacitance, suggesting that voltage and charge seem to be treated as separate entities.
  • Another participant asserts that the relationship between charge and voltage is interdependent, stating that more charge results in higher voltage, using the analogy of inflating a balloon to illustrate the concept.
  • A later reply indicates that the analogy helped clarify the relationship for one participant.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relationship between voltage and charge, with some emphasizing their interdependence while others question the clarity of their distinction in explanations. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the conceptual understanding of capacitance.

Contextual Notes

There are indications of missing assumptions regarding the definitions of voltage and charge, as well as the role of capacitance in electrical systems. The discussion does not resolve these ambiguities.

naiasetvolo
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Why do we want to know how much a charge can be stored per volt?
What has the voltage to do with the storage of charge in a capacitor?
 
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naiasetvolo said:
Why do we want to know how much a charge can be stored per volt?
What has the voltage to do with the storage of charge in a capacitor?
What is your motivation for asking these questions?

Chet
 
Chestermiller said:
What is your motivation for asking these questions?

Chet
I am reading about electric field, capacitors and capacitans. And I got stuck in the part where it explained about the capacitans, this was the explanation about the capacitans: "How much charge the capacitor can store per volt".
As I have understood voltage can be seen as pressure. Why is it so that the capactians is what stores the charges per voltage? The way I see it is that the amount of charge is what makes voltage. Without charge there would be no voltage. If these two are in relation then why do we want to know how much charge can be stored in voltage?
The way they are explaining it makes it sound as these two are two separate entities. I am not sure if I have made myself clear.
 
It doesn't matter which comes first, the voltage or the charge. The more charge you store, the higher the voltage.

Blow up a balloon half way. Now, to blow more air in the balloon, you need more pressure.
 
anorlunda said:
It doesn't matter which comes first, the voltage or the charge. The more charge you store, the higher the voltage.

Blow up a balloon half way. Now, to blow more air in the balloon, you need more pressure.
Thank you, I understand now. Your example made it clear.
 

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