Lesson Plan

Define capacitance and explain what a capacitor does in a circuit

Calculate capacitance, charge, and voltage using Q = CV

Calculate the energy stored in a capacitor using U = ½CV²

Explain the role of a dielectric material and how it increases capacitance

Describe practical applications of capacitors in everyday devices

18.5

"A capacitor is a device used to store electric charge. Capacitors have applications ranging from filtering static out of radio reception to energy storage in heart defibrillators. Typically, commercial capacitors have two conducting parts close to one another, but not touching, such as those in Figure 18.28." "The capacitance C of a capacitor is defined as the ratio of the maximum charge Q that can be stored in a capacitor to the applied voltage V across its plates: C = Q/V."