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Capacitor

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This article is about the electronic component. For the physical phenomenon, see capacitance.
For an overview of various kinds of capacitors, see types of capacitor.
Capacitor

Modern capacitors, by a cm rule


Type Passive
Invented Ewald Georg von Kleist (October 1745)
Electronic symbol

A typical electrolytic capacitor

A capacitor (formerly known as condenser) is a passive electronic component consisting of a


pair of conductors separated by a dielectric (insulator). When there is a potential difference
(voltage) across the conductors a static electric field develops in the dielectric that stores energy
and produces a mechanical force between the conductors. An ideal capacitor is characterized by
a single constant value, capacitance, measured in farads. This is the ratio of the electric charge on
each conductor to the potential difference between them.
Capacitors are widely used in electronic circuits for blocking direct current while allowing
alternating current to pass, in filter networks, for smoothing the output of power supplies, in the
resonant circuits that tune radios to particular frequencies and for many other purposes.

The effect is greatest when there is a narrow separation between large areas of conductor, hence
capacitor conductors are often called "plates", referring to an early means of construction. In
practice the dielectric between the plates passes a small amount of leakage current and also has
an electric field strength limit, resulting in a breakdown voltage, while the conductors and leads
introduce an equivalent series resistance.

capacitor consists of two conductors separated by a non-conductive region[8] called the dielectric
medium though it may be a vacuum or a semiconductor depletion region chemically identical to
the conductors. A capacitor is assumed to be self-contained and isolated, with no net electric
charge and no influence from any external electric field. The conductors thus hold equal and
opposite charges on their facing surfaces,[9] and the dielectric develops an electric field. In SI
units, a capacitance of one farad means that one coulomb of charge on each conductor causes a
voltage of one volt across the device.[10]

The capacitor is a reasonably general model for electric fields within electric circuits. An ideal
capacitor is wholly characterized by a constant capacitance C, defined as the ratio of charge ±Q
on each conductor to the voltage V between them:[8]

Sometimes charge build-up affects the capacitor mechanically, causing its capacitance to vary. In
this case, capacitance is defined in terms of incremental changes:

TYPES OF CAPACITORS

Practical capacitors are available commercially in many different forms. The type of internal
dielectric, the structure of the plates and the device packaging all strongly affect the
characteristics of the capacitor, and its applications.

Values available range from very low (picofarad range; while arbitrarily low values are in
principle possible, stray (parasitic) capacitance in any circuit is the limiting factor) to about 5 kF
supercapacitors.

Above approximately 1 microfarad electrolytic capacitors are usually used because of their small
size and low cost compared with other technologies, unless their relatively poor stability, life and
polarised nature make them unsuitable. Very high capacity supercapacitors use a porous carbon-
based electrode material.

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