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Capacitance Formula:
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Capacitance is the ability of a system to store an electric charge. The farad (F) is the SI unit of capacitance, named after the English physicist Michael Faraday. One farad is defined as one coulomb of charge stored per one volt of potential difference.
The calculator uses the fundamental capacitance formula:
Where:
Explanation: This formula calculates the capacitance by dividing the amount of electric charge (Q) by the voltage (V) across the capacitor.
Details: Calculating capacitance is essential for designing electronic circuits, selecting appropriate capacitors for specific applications, and understanding the energy storage capabilities of capacitive systems.
Tips: Enter the electric charge in coulombs and the voltage in volts. Both values must be positive numbers greater than zero for accurate calculation.
Q1: What is a farad in simple terms?
A: A farad is the unit of capacitance that represents one coulomb of charge stored per one volt of electrical potential difference.
Q2: Why are capacitors rated in farads?
A: Farads measure a capacitor's ability to store electrical energy. The capacitance value indicates how much charge a capacitor can hold at a given voltage.
Q3: What are typical capacitance values?
A: Most practical capacitors have values in microfarads (μF), nanofarads (nF), or picofarads (pF), as one farad is a very large unit of capacitance.
Q4: How does voltage affect capacitance?
A: For ideal capacitors, capacitance remains constant regardless of voltage. The formula C = Q/V shows that as voltage increases, the stored charge increases proportionally for a given capacitance.
Q5: Can this formula be used for all capacitors?
A: This basic formula applies to ideal capacitors. Real capacitors may have additional factors like equivalent series resistance (ESR) and leakage current that affect performance.