Chapter 8: Capacitance Flashcards
What is a capacitor?
Two conductors separated by an insulator.
What is a dielectric?
An insulating material placed between the conductors of a capacitor.
What happens to electrons when they reach one plate of a capacitor?
They get stuck on that plate and pile up. They do not move through the capacitor.
What happens to the current over time for a circuit including one or more capacitors, and why?
The current drops over time as the electrons build up on the capacitor plates and stop moving through the circuit.
What are the units of capacitance?
Farads (F)
Do capacitors in series have the same charge on the plates or the same voltage between the plates?
Capacitors in series have the same charge on the plates.
Do capacitor branches in parallel have the same charge on the branches or the same voltage on the branches?
Capacitor branches in parallel have the same voltage on each branch.
What is an RC circuit?
An RC circuit contains both resistors and capacitors.
What is the time constant mean in an RC circuit?
The time constant is the amount of time it takes for about 63% of the charge to have reached the plates of a capacitor and stopped moving through the circuit. After one time constant has passed, the current will have dropped to about 27% of its initial value.
