Basic DC Capacitor Circuits

Question 1

What are capacitors used for and how are they constructed?

Answer 1

Used for storing electric charge
2 parallel plates separated by an insulator (dielectric)

Question 2

What are the 3 factors that affect capacitors and give a lil detail

Answer 2

Plate area - proportional
Distance between plates - inversely proportional
Dielectric constant - proportional - material permittivity

Question 3

What is leakage resistance?

Answer 3

Measure of capacity quality - determines how long it will store a charge before it ‘leaks away’

Question 4

What is working voltage?

Answer 4

Max direct current voltage that can be applied - printed on capacitor

Question 5

What is dialectric strength?

Answer 5

Measure of ability of dielectric to withstand a specified potential across a given thickness of the material (V/mm)

Question 6

What is a resistor box for and what are its main components?

Answer 6

Substitution box in place of a standard resistor
6 rotary switches each with 10 resistors

Question 7

Describe the procedure for determining the calibration status of a resistor decade box

Answer 7

Check label make sure it is present and unbroken

Question 8

Describe the serviceability test for a resistor decade box

Answer 8

1. Multimeter continuity test - baseline ohms may be subtracted from future tests
2. Set box to resistance required
3. Connect multimeter - should be under tolerance of 1% - continue to check for every new resistance selection

Question 9

Which capacitor has the symbol with an arrow through it?

Answer 9

Variable capacitor

Question 10

Describe the capacitor symbols for a polarised capacitor

Answer 10

one line is a curve | one has a lil plus sign next to it