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Capacitor Calculator

Capacitors are electrical devices that are used to store electrical energy. A typical capacitor consists of two fixed conducting plates (electrodes) which face each other and are separated by a distance (d) An insulating material (such as air) fills the gap between the two plates. This insulating material is called the dielectric.
When a potential difference or voltage (V, volts) is applied across the two plates, an amount of opposite and equal charge (Q, coulombs) is stored in each electrode. Capacitance (F, farads) is the charge per unit volt that a capacitor can store, Because a farad is an extremely large unit, capacitances are measured normally in micro farads ( F), nano farads (nF), or pico farads (pF).
Because a capacitor’s plates are fixed, an electric field will develop. As a consequence of this, a voltage develops across the plates. As more charges accumulate, the voltage increases. The voltage of the applied potential is the maximum voltage that can appear across the capacitor. The amount of charge that can be stored in the plates is a function of the plate areas (A, in meters), the permittivity of the dielectric ( , in farads per meter), and the separation of the plates (d). The energy stored in the capacitor (E, joules), due to the accumulation of charges, is a measure of the amount of work needed to develop the voltage across the plates.
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Engineering Calculator Disclaimer

IEEE GlobalSpec engineering calculators are free for individuals to use via this site under the terms and conditions set out under the Terms of Use of this web site and supplemented by this Engineering Calculator Disclaimer. These calculators are intended solely for general information and educational purposes, and are provided to help decrease the learning curve for those inexperienced in the engineering field and to give more experienced users additional reference tools.

The engineering calculators provided are not intended in any way as engineering advice or services, or as a solicitation for any engineering product or service. Any results from use of these calculators may not be applicable or accurate with regard to the individual circumstances, cannot be relied upon for anything, including, without limitation, engineering designs or decisions, and should not be the basis for any action or inaction on your part. Read Entire Disclaimer

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