Lecture 36

Capacitance
Combinations of capacitors (series and parallel)
Energy stored in capacitor (electric field)
start chapter 31 (Fundamentals of Circuits)
Capacitance
Vc = 0 Vwire = 0
Q
V = Ed; E = !0 A
;
C !0 A
Q

Units of C:
1 farad = 1 F 1 C/V
C geometric property
(of any two electrodes)
Combinations...
Capacitors in Parallel
same Vc
Q Q1 +Q2
Ceq = VC = VC
Q1 Q1
=VC + VC

Capacitors in Series
same charge Q
1 VC V1 +V2
Ceq = Q
= Q
V1 V2
= Q + Q
 Circuit analysis

combine elements into single

equivalent; reverse process to
calculate for each element
 Energy Stored in Capacitor (Electric Field)
Potential energy of d q + capacitor increases by dU = dqV = qdq
C

total energy transferred from battery to capacitor:

!Q
1 Q2 1 2
UC = C 0 qdq = 2C = 2 C (VC )

like spring (1/2k (x)2): discharged/released, potential to kinetic...

Energy stored in E (real!): using VC = Ed and C = !0 A/d, UC =

energy stored
!0
2
(Ad) E 2
Uc !0 2
uE = = = E
volume stored in Ad 2
 Chapter 31 (Fundamentals of Circuits)
understand fundamental principles of electric circuits; direct
current (DC): batterys potential difference, currents constant

Resistors and Ohms law

(cause and effect)

resistors: circuit elements with resistance

larger than wires used to limit current
Ohmic and Nonohmic
materials; Ideal Wire
Model

ideal wires: R = 0
V = 0 even I = 0

resistors:
10 to 10
6

ideal insulators:
R =
I = 0 even if V = 0
 Circuit Elements and Diagrams
circuit diagram: logical picture of connections (replace
pictures of circuit elements by symbols)