I have circuit which has parallel capacitors and series capacitors, what I want to know is when a Voltage is applied will I have to take into account those series and parallel capacitors when determining charge? Can I just assume that Q will be the same for one capacitor even though it is in series and parallel with others?
2007-06-02 16:37:44 · 5 answers · asked by Nate-dawg 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Yes, you must take into account the parallel and series capacitors. The parallel capacitors will act as one big capacitor with the total capacitance of the parallel capacitors. The series capacitors will obey the other rule (1/Ctot = 1/C1 + 1/C2....)
You cannot assume the same Q for a capacitor unless is identical to the other capacitors it is in parallel or in series with.
2007-06-02 16:45:51 · answer #1 · answered by drslowpoke 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's good you asked. No, you don't understand it completely. The task you describe is circuit analysis. Once you understand how capacitors work and how circuits work, you can predict the response of a specific circuit to a specific stimulus.
The charge in a capacitor is the product of the capacitance and the voltage. So a 2uF capacitor in parallel with a 1uF capacitor will have twice the charge. For a general series-parallel network, you would need to solve a set of simultaneous differential equations.
2007-06-03 01:29:43 · answer #2 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First consider three or more capacitors connected in SERIES.
The charges in all the capacitors will be the SAME.
Three or more capacitors are connected in PARALLEL.
The charges in all the capacitors will be DIFFERENT.
If there are capacitors in series and there are capacitors in parallel in a circuit.
All Capacitors in series (which are included one potential difference) will have the same charge; the potential differences across each capacitor will vary.
All the capacitors (which are included in one potential difference) will have different charges. The potential differences across each capacitor will be the same.
2007-06-03 01:40:57 · answer #3 · answered by Pearlsawme 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Think of each capacitor as a water tank, and the voltage as the head, the wires as water lines connecting all tanks. That way, you will be able to visualise better what is happening and of course, you got a good answer giving you the formula for calculations.
2007-06-02 23:54:00 · answer #4 · answered by Swamy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Q may or may not be the same. it all depends on the voltage travelling through the circuit. you should take note of the parellel capacitors when determining charge, because these can affect the charge of the circuit. hope this helped!
2007-06-02 23:47:36 · answer #5 · answered by Lizard_Luver 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋