PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

Capacitor
AND
CAPACITANCE

APRIL 2019

PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING LECTURE

Instructor: Engr. Claudio Cajes

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY - MAIN CAMPUS
MJ. CUENCO AVE., COR. R. PALMA ST., CEBU CITY
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE
88
March 2019
 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

Faughn, J.S., Serway, R.A., Vuille, C., & Bennet, C.A.(2006). Capacitance.
Serway’s College Physics (Thompson Asian Edition). pp-545-546 Pacific
Grove, United States of America: Brooks/Cole.
CAPACITANCE
Capacitor is a device used in a variety of electric circuits – for example, to tune
the frequency of radio receivers, eliminate sparking in automobile ignition
systems, or store short-term energy for rapid release in electronic flash units.

Used in electric circuit, the plates

are connected to the positive and negative
terminals of a battery or some other
voltage source. When this connection is
made, electrons are pulled off one of the
plates, leaving it with a charge of +Q, and
are transferred through the battery to the
other plate, leaving it with a charge of –Q,
as shown in the figure.
The transfer of charge stops when
the potential difference across the plates
equals the potential difference of the
battery. A charged capacitor is a device
that stores energy that can be reclaimed
when needed for a specification
application.

The capacitance C of a capacitor is the

ratio of the magnitude of the charge on
either conductor (plate) to the
Figure 1. A parallel-plate capacitor consists of magnitude of the potential difference
two parallel plates, each area A, separated by a between the conductors (plates):
distance d. The plates carry equal and opposite
𝑄
charges. 𝐶 = ∆𝑉 , Equation 1.0

𝐶
SI units: farad (F) = coulomb per volt (𝑉)

The quantities Q and ∆V are always taken to be positive when used in Equation
1.0. For example, if a 3.0 µF capacitor is connected to a 12-V battery, the
magnitude of the charge on eaach plate of capacitor is
𝑄 = 𝐶∆𝑉 = (3.0 × 10−6 𝐹)(12 𝑉) = 36𝜇𝐹

CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE

March 2019
 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

From the Equation 1.0, we see that a large capacitance is needed to store large
amount of charge for given applied voltage. The farad is a very large unit of
capacitance. In practice, most typical capacitors have capacitances ranging from
microfarads ((1𝜇𝐹 = 1 × 10−6 𝐹) to picofarads (1𝑝𝐹 = 1 × 10−12 𝐹).

THE PARALLEL-PLATE CAPACITOR

The capacitance of a device depends on the geometric arrangement of the

conductors. The capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor with plates separated
by air (see firgure 1.0). can be easily calculated from three facts. First, recall that
𝜎
the magnitude of the elctric field between two plates is given by 𝐸 = 𝜖 , where σ
0
is the magnitude of the charge per unit area on each plate. Second, we found
earlier in this chapter that the potential difference between two plates is ∆𝑉 =
𝐸𝑑, where d is the distance between the plates. Third, the charge on one plate is
given by 𝑞 = 𝜎𝐴, where A is the area of the plate. Substituting these three facts
into the definition of capacitance gives the desired result:
𝑞 𝜎𝐴 𝜎𝐴
𝐶= = = 𝜎
∆𝑉 𝐸𝑑 ( ) 𝑑
𝜖0
𝐴
Canceling the charge per unit area, σ, yields: 𝐶 = 𝜖0 𝑑 , where A is the area
of one plates, d is the distance between the plates, and 𝜖0 is the permittivity of
the free space.
𝐴
From the equation 𝐶 = 𝜖0 𝑑 , we see that plates with larger area can store
more charge. The same is true for a small plate separation d, because then the
positive charges on one plate exert a stronger force on the negative charges on
the other plate, allowing more chrage to be held on the plates.

Figure 2. (a) The electric field between the plates of parallel-plate capacitor is uniform near the center,
but non-uniform near the edges. (b) Electric field pattern of two oppositely charged conducting
parallel plates. Small pieces of thread on an oil surface align with electric field.

CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE

March 2019
 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

Figure 2 show the electric field lines of a more realistic parallel-plate

capacitor. The electric field is very nearly constant in the center between the
p[lates, but becomes less so when approaching the edges. For most purposes,
however, the field may be taken as constant throughout the region between the
plates.
One practical device that uses a capacitor is the flash attachment on a
camera. A battery is used to charge the capacitor, and stored charge is then
released when the shutter-release button is pressed to take a picture. The stored
charge delivered to a flash tube very quickly, illuminating the subject at the
instant more light is needed.
Computers make use of capacitors in many ways. For example, one type
of computer keyboard has capacitors at the bases of its keys, as in Figure 3.
Each key is connected to a movable plate, hich represents one side of the
capacitor; the fixed plate on the bottom of the keyboard represents the other side
of the capoacitor. When a key is pressed, the capacitor spacing decreases,
causing an increase in capacitance. External electronic circuits recognize each
key by the change in its capacitance when it is pressed.

Capacitors are useful for

storing a large amount of charge
that needs to be delivered quickly.
A good example on the forefront of
fusion research is electrostatic
confinement. In this role,
capacitors discharge their electrons
through a grid. The negatively
charged electrons in the grid draw
prositively charfged particales to
them and therefore to each other,
causing some particles to fuse and
release energy in the process.

Figure 3. When the key of one type of APPLICATION

keyboard is pressed, the capacitance of a Camera flash attachment
parallel-plate capacitor increases as the plate
Computer keyboard
spacing decreases. The substance labeled
“dielectric” is an insulating material. Electrostatic Confinement

CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE

March 2019
 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

A PARALLEL-PLATE CAPACITOR

Objective: To calculate fundamental physical properties of a parallel-plate

capacitor.

Problem: A paralell-plate capacitor has an area 𝐴 = 2.00 × 10−4 𝑚2 and a plate

separation 𝑑 = 1.00 × 10−3 𝑚 . (a) Find its capacitance. (b) How much charge is on
the positive plate if the capacitor is connected to a 3.00 − 𝑉 battery? (c) Calculate
the charge density on the positive plate, assuming the density is uniform, and
(d) the magnitude of the electric field between the plates.

Stategy: Parts (a) and (b) can be solved by substituting into the basic equations
for capacitance. In Part (c), use the fact that the voltage difference equals the
electric field times the distance.

Solution:
(a) Find the capacitance.
A 𝐶2 2.00 ×10−4 𝑚2
C = 𝜀0 𝑑 = (8.85 × 10−12 N∙𝑚2 ) ( 1.00×10−3 𝑚 )
C = 1.77 × 10−12 𝐹 = 1.77 𝑝𝐹
(b) Find the charge on the positive plate after the capacitor is connected to
a 3.00-V battery.
𝑄
𝐶 = ∆𝑉 → 𝑄 = 𝐶∆𝑉 = (1.77 × 10−12 𝐹) × (3.00 𝑉)
= 5.31 × 10−12 𝐶
(c) Calculate the charge density on the positive plate. Charged density is
divoded by the area:
𝑄 5.31×10−12 𝐶 𝐶
𝜎 = 𝐴 = 2.00 ×10−4 𝑚2 = 2.66 × 10−8 𝑚2
(d) Calculate the magnitude of the electric field between the plates.
𝐶
𝜎 2.66×10−8 2 𝑁
𝐸=𝜀 = 𝑚
𝐶2
= 3.01 × 103 𝐶
0 8.85×10−12
N∙𝑚2
Remarks: The answer to part (d) could also have been obtained from the lectric
potential, which is ∆𝑉 = 𝐸𝑑 for a parallel-plate capacitor.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercise Problem:
Two plates, each of area 3.00 × 10−4 𝑚2 , are used to construct a parallel-plate
capacitor with capacitance 1.00 𝑝𝐹, (a) Find the necessary separation distance.
(b) If the positive plate is to hold a charge of 5.00 × 10−12 𝐶, find the charge density.

CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE

March 2019
 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

(c) Find the electric field between the plates. (d) what voltage battery should be
attached to the plate to obtain the preceeding results?

𝐶 𝑁
Answers: (a) 2.66 × 10−3 𝑚 (b) 1.67 × 10−8 𝑚2 (c) 1.89 × 103 𝐶 (d) 5.00 𝑉
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Symbols for Circuit Elements and Circuits

The symbol that is commonly used to represent a capacitor in a circuit is,

or sometimes . Don’t confuse either of these symbols with the circuit

symbol, which is used to designate a battery (or any other source

of direct current). The positive terminal of the battery is the higher potential and
is represented by the longer vertical line in the battery symbol.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAPACITORS WITH DIELECTRICS
A dielectric is an insulating material, such as rubber, plastic, or waxed
paper. When a dielectric is inserted between the plates of a capacitor, the
capacitance increases. If the dielectric completely fills the space between the
plates, the capacitance is multiplied by the factor k, called the dielectric
constant.
The following experiment illustrates the effect of dielectric in a capacitor.
Consider a parallerl-plate capacitor of charge 𝑄0 and capacitance 𝐶0 in the
absence of a dielectric. The potential difference across the capacitor plates can
𝑄0
be measured, and is given by ∆𝑉0 = . Because the capacitor is not connected
𝐶0
to an external circuit, there is no pathway for charge to leave or be added to the
plates. If a dielectric is now inserted between the plates as in Figure 4, the voltage
across the plates is reduced by the factor k to the value,
∆𝑉0
∆𝑉 = 𝐾
Because k>1, ∆𝑉 is less than ∆𝑉0. Because the charge 𝑄0 on the capacitor doesn’t
change, we conclude that the capacitance in the presence of the dielectric must
change to the value,
𝑄 𝑄0 𝑘𝑄0
𝐶 = ∆𝑉0 = ∆𝑉0 = ∆𝑉0
𝐾

CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE

March 2019
 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

Figure 4. (a) With air between the plates, the

voltage across the capacitor is ∆𝑉0 , the
capacitance is 𝐶0 , and the charges is 𝑄0 . (b)
With a dielectric between the plates, the
charges remains at 𝑄0 , but the voltage and
capacitance change.

According to this result, the

capacitance is multiplied by the factor
k when the dielectric fills the region
between the plates. For a parallel-
plate capacitor, where tha
capacitance in the absnece of a
𝜀0 𝐴
dielectric is 𝐶0 = , we can express the capacitance is the presence of a
𝑑
dielectric as,
𝜀0 𝐴
𝐶0 = 𝑑

REFERENCES

CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE

March 2019
 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERING

Mechanical Engineering (2010). Safety Precautions and measurements [Blogspot].

Retrieved from https://engineeringhut.blogspot.com/2010/11/safety-precautions.html

Babu, S. (2014, September 24). Machine Shop Notes [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved
from https://www.slideshare.net/sureshbabuem/machine-shop-notespdf

Seyferth, N. (2017, November 16). 7 Essential Metrology Tools for Modern CNC
Machine Shops [blog Post]. Retrieved from
https://blog.eaglegroupmanufacturers.com/precision-machined-parts-measuring-tools-
every-cnc-shop-should-have

Little Machine Shops. (2009). Retrieved From

https://littlemachineshop.com/images/gallery/instructions/steelrules.pdf

Dial Test Indicator. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.diseno-

art.com/products/tools/dial_test_indicator.html

El-Sherbeeny, A. (2015). 2 - Machining Fundamentals – Measurement. Retrieved from

https://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/2_-
_machining_measurement_ams_sep09_13.pdf

Carbide Processor Inc. (2018). Types of Machine Coolant. Retrieved from

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/machine-coolant/types-of-machine-
coolant.html

Engineering 360. (2018). Functions of Lubricants. Retrieved from

https://www.globalspec.com/reference/38788/203279/functions-of-lubricants

Anonymous. (2012, September 5). Functions of Lubricants. Retrieved from

http://www.thegreenbook.com/functions-of-lubricants.htm

CAPACITOR & CAPACITANCE

March 2019