Capacitors Flashcards
1
Q
What are the two types of capacitor?
A
Ceramic and electrolytic
2
Q
What is the main difference between putting an electrolytic and ceramic capacitor in a circuit?
A
An electrolytic capacitor is polarised
3
Q
What are capacitors used for?
A
To store charge
4
Q
What does the rate of discharge of a capacitor depend on?
A
- The size of the capacitance
- The resistance in the circuits
5
Q
How is capacitance calculated?
A
C = Q/V
6
Q
What is the unit of capacitance?
A
Farad
7
Q
Give three examples of how capacitors are used.
A
- Smoothing power supplies
- Time delay circuits
8
Q
What pattern does the discharge of a capacitor follow?
A
Exponential
9
Q
How is the charge of a discharging capacitor calculated?
A
Q = Q0e^(-t/CR)
10
Q
How is the half life of a capacitor calculated?
A
t = CRln2
11
Q
How is the time constant of a capacitor calculated?
A
τ = CR
