Energy stored in a capacitor A capacitor is an electrical device that stores energy in an electric field. It is essentially a pair of conductors separated b...
Energy stored in a capacitor
A capacitor is an electrical device that stores energy in an electric field. It is essentially a pair of conductors separated by a dielectric material. When a voltage is applied across the conductors, the charges in the conductors create an electric field, which is an electric potential difference between the two conductors.
The energy stored in a capacitor is given by the formula:
where:
is the energy stored in the capacitor in joules
is the capacitance of the capacitor in farads
is the potential difference between the two conductors in volts
Combination of capacitors
When two capacitors are connected in parallel, the total capacitance of the combination is equal to the sum of the individual capacitances. This means that the total charge stored in the combined capacitor is equal to the sum of the charges stored in the individual capacitors.
The energy stored in a combination of capacitors connected in parallel is given by the formula:
where:
is the energy stored in the combined capacitor in joules
is the capacitance of each individual capacitor in farads
Additional points to note:
The capacitance of a capacitor is measured in farads (F).
The potential difference between the two conductors in a capacitor is measured in volts (V).
The energy stored in a capacitor is always positive