Capacitance

Capacitance

When a positive charge q is placed on a conductor that is insulated from ground, an electric field emanates from the conductor to ground and the conductor will have a nonzero potential V relative to grounds. If more charges is placed on the conductor, this voltage will increase proportionately. The ratio of charge to voltage is called the capacitance C of this conductor.

Capacitance of a Capacitor: Capacitance is the property of the capacitor that defines the maximum amount of electrical charge stored in it. Capacitance may vary depending on the shape of the capacitor. It can be calculated by using the geometry of the conductors and dielectric material properties.

Capacitance is defined as the ratio of charge (Q) on the either plates to the potential difference (V) between them.

Capacitance $$(C)\,\,=\,\,\frac{Q}{V}$$

Current can be obtained as,

$$I(t)\,\,=\,\,C\,\left[ \frac{d(V)}{d(t)} \right]$$

So, Capacitance is directly proportional to the charge (Q) and is inversely proportional to the voltage (V).

Capacitance of the capacitor can be increased by increasing the number of plates.

Capacitance Formula: Capacitance is to describe how much charge any conductor can hold. It is the ratio of the charge flowing across the conductor to the potential applied. Capacitance is the ability of a substance to store an electrical charge. A parallel plate capacitor is the common form of energy storage device. Capacitance is exhibited by a parallel plate arrangement and defined in terms of charge storage.

Capacitance formula can be expressed as:

$$C\,\,=\,\,\frac{Q}{V}$$

Where,

Q = Charge of the Conductor.

V = Potential applied across the conductor.

C = Proportionality Constant or Capacitance.

Standard units of Capacitance:

Farads is a high value so, capacitance is expressed as sub units of capacitor real time such as micro farads (μF), nano farads (nF) and pico farads (PF).

Most of the electrical applications are covered by the following standard unit (SI) prefixes for easy calculations,

1 mF (milli Farad) = 10⁻³ F = 1000 μF = 1000000 nF

1 μF (micro Farad) = 10⁻⁶ F = 1000 nF = 1000000 PF

1 nF (nano Farad) = 10⁻⁹ F = 1000 PF

1 PF (Pico Farad) = 10⁻¹² F

To convert μF to nF or PF to a wide range of other units and vice versa, we need to use Electric Capacitance Unit Converter.