EE-103: Electrical Engineering

Chap:6 (Part I)
Capacitors

Slide 1
 Passive Elements
• Circuit elements can be active or passive
• Resistor is a passive element, which can only dissipate or
spend energy
• Two other important passive circuit elements:
– Capacitor
– Inductor
• Capacitors and inductors
– can store energy or release energy
– are energy storage elements
– All circuit laws (KCL or KVL) are applicable

Slide 2
 Capacitor
• A capacitor consists of two conducting plates
separated by an insulator (or dielectric).
• Three factors affecting the value of
capacitance (𝐶𝐶):
1. Area(𝐴𝐴):
The larger the area, the greater
the capacitance.
2. Spacing between the plates (𝑑𝑑):
The smaller the spacing, the
greater the capacitance.
3. Material permittivity (𝜖𝜖):
The higher the permittivity, the
greater the capacitance.
Slide 3
 Capacitor

Capacitance is the ratio of the charge

on one plate of a capacitor to the voltage
difference between the two plates,
measured in farads (F).

𝑞𝑞
𝐶𝐶 =
𝑣𝑣

Capacitor:
Stores charge in response to voltage
(measured in farad F)

Slide 4
Current - Voltage Relation of Capacitor

𝑞𝑞 = 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

= 𝐶𝐶 𝑖𝑖 =
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑖𝑖 = 𝐶𝐶
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

Slide 5
Voltage - Current Relation of Capacitor
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 = 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑖𝑖 = 𝐶𝐶
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

1 𝑡𝑡
𝑣𝑣 = � 𝑖𝑖 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝐶𝐶 −∞

1 𝑡𝑡
𝑣𝑣 = � 𝑖𝑖 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 + 𝑣𝑣(𝑡𝑡0 ) 𝑣𝑣(𝑡𝑡0 )= 𝑞𝑞(𝑡𝑡0 )/C
𝐶𝐶 𝑡𝑡0

Capacitor has a memory

Slide 6
Power & Energy Relation of Capacitor
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑝𝑝 = 𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣 𝑖𝑖 = 𝐶𝐶
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑝𝑝 = 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

𝑡𝑡
𝑤𝑤 = � 𝑝𝑝 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
−∞

1 2 𝑞𝑞 2
𝑤𝑤 = 𝐶𝐶𝑣𝑣 𝑤𝑤 =
2 2𝐶𝐶
Slide 7
 Properties of Capacitor
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑖𝑖 = 𝐶𝐶
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

• when v is a constant voltage, then

i=0; i.e., a capacitor is an open
circuit to dc.

• Voltage on capacitor must be

continuous. The voltage across the
capacitor cannot be changed abruptly

• Ideal Capacitor does not dissipate

energy
Slide 8
 Conversion Relations of Capacitor

Find Charge, Given Voltage Find Current, Given Charge

𝑞𝑞 = 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝑑𝑑𝑞𝑞
𝑖𝑖 =
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
Find Current, Given Voltage Find Voltage, Given Current

𝑑𝑑𝑣𝑣 1 𝑡𝑡
𝑖𝑖 = 𝐶𝐶 𝑣𝑣 = � 𝑖𝑖 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 + 𝑣𝑣(𝑡𝑡0 )
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝐶𝐶 𝑡𝑡0

Find Energy, Given Voltage Find Power, Given Voltage

1 2 𝑞𝑞2 𝑑𝑑𝑣𝑣
𝑤𝑤 = 𝐶𝐶𝑣𝑣 𝑤𝑤 = 𝑝𝑝 = 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶
2 2𝐶𝐶 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 Slide 9
 Example 6.1
(a) Calculate the charge stored on a 3-pF capacitor
with 20V across it.
(b) Find the energy stored in the capacitor.
Solution:
(a) Since
q = Cv ,
−12
q = 3 × 10 × 20 = 60pC

(b) The energy stored is

1 2 1
w = Cv = × 3 × 10 −12 × 400 = 600pJ
2 2
Slide 10
 Example 6.2
• The voltage across a 5- µF capacitor is
v(t ) = 10 cos 6000t V
Calculate the current through it.
Solution:
• By definition, the current is
dv −6 d
i=C = 5 × 10 (10 cos 6000t )
dt dt
= −5 × 10 −6 × 6000 ×10 sin 6000t = −0.3 sin 6000t A

Slide 11
 Example 6.3
• Determine the voltage across a 2-µF capacitor if the
current through it is
−3000t
i (t ) = 6e mA
Assume that the initial capacitor voltage is zero.
Solution:
1 t
• Since v = ∫0 idt + v(0) and v(0) = 0,
C
v=
1 t −3000 t 3 × 10 −3000t t
3
−6 ∫0
−3
6 e dt ⋅ 10 = e
2 × 10 − 3000 0

−3000t
= (1 − e )V
Slide 12
 Example 6.4
• Determine the current through a 200- µF capacitor
whose voltage is shown below.

Slide 13
Solution: Contd.
• The voltage waveform can be described mathematically as

Slide 14
 Contd.
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
• Since 𝑖𝑖 = 𝐶𝐶 and 𝐶𝐶 =200 µF,
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
we take the derivative to obtain

Slide 15
 Contd.

Thus the current waveform is shown in Fig.

Slide 16
 Example 6.5
• Obtain the energy stored in each capacitor under dc
condition.

Slide 17
 Example 6.5
• Obtain the energy stored in each capacitor under dc
condition.

Slide 18
 Contd.
Solution:
• Under dc condition, we replace each capacitor with
an open circuit. By current division,
3
i= (6mA) = 2mA
3+ 2+ 4
∴ v1 = 2000 i = 4 V, v 2 = 4000i = 8 V
1 1 −3
∴ w1 = C1v1 = (2 × 10 )(4) = 16mJ
2 2

2 2
1 1 −3
w2 = C2 v2 = (4 × 10 )(8) = 128mJ
2 2

2 2
Slide 19
Parallel Combination

Slide 20
Series Combination

Slide 21
 Example 6.6
• Find the equivalent capacitance seen between
terminals a and b of the circuit below.

Slide 22
Solution:
• The 20𝜇𝜇F and 5𝜇𝜇F capacitors are in series; their
equivalent capacitance is
20×5
= 4𝜇𝜇F
20+5
• This 4𝜇𝜇F capacitor is in parallel with 6𝜇𝜇F and 20𝜇𝜇F
capacitors ; their combined capacitance is
4 + 6 + 20 = 30𝜇𝜇F
• This 30𝜇𝜇F capacitor is in series with 60𝜇𝜇F. Hence, the
equivalent capacitance for the entire circuit is
30 × 60
𝐶𝐶𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 = = 20𝜇𝜇F
30 + 60
Slide 23
 Example 6.7
• For the circuit in Fig, find the voltage across
each capacitor.

Slide 24
 Contd.
Solution:
• Three parallel capacitors:
1
𝐶𝐶𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 = = 10mF
1 1 1
+ +
60 30 20

• Total charge
𝑞𝑞 = 𝐶𝐶𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑣𝑣 = 10 × 10−3 × 30 = 0.3𝐶𝐶
• This is the charge on the 20mF and 30mF capacitors,
because they are in series with the 30V source.
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
– imagine that charge acts like current, since 𝑖𝑖 =
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

Slide 25
 Contd.
• Therefore,
q 0.3 q 0.3
v1 = = −3
= 15 V, v2 = = −3
= 10 V
C1 20 × 10 C2 30 × 10

• Having determined v1 and v2, we now use KVL to

determine v3 by
v3 = 30 − v1 − v2 = 5V
• Alternatively, since the 40-mF and 20-mF capacitors are
in parallel, they have the same voltage v3, their combined
capacitance is 40+20=60mF, while the combined charge
is 0.3C . q 0.3
∴ v3 = = −3
= 5V
60mF 60 ×10 Slide 26
 Announcements
Self Practice Exercises: Not to be Submitted
 All Examples solved in the lecture slides
 All Practice Problems related to above examples
 Review Questions
 Problems related to;
 Section 6.2 Capacitors
 Section 6.3 Series and Parallel Capacitors

Assign#4: 06 June 2020

Quiz#4: 08 June 2020

Slide 27