Question

The capacitance of a capacitor depends on what?​

Answer 1

The capacitance of a capacitor depends on the charge and voltage of a system. It is also dependent, if present, on the dielectric as well.

General Formulas and Concepts:
Gauss's Law

Capacitance Formula:
`\displaystyle C = (Q)/(V)`

• Q denotes charge
• V denotes voltage

Dielectric Capacitance Formula:
`\displaystyle C = \kappa C_0`

• C₀ denotes original capacitance
• κ denotes the dialectic constant

Step-by-step explanation:

A capacitor stores charge when run through an electrical current. The capacitance is how much charge a capacitor can hold.

We can define the relationship of capacitance by using the formula. Capacitance is inversely proportional to the potential energy, or voltage, of the system. Therefore, you will need to know what the charge Q of the system as well has voltage V in order to find the capacitance.

If there is a dielectric involved inside the capacitance, you also must incorporate the value of the dielectric constant into your capacitance. A dielectric is directly proportional to the capacitance; the bigger the dielectric constant, the bigger capacitance, as denoted in our equation.

Topic: AP Physics C - EMAG

Unit: Gauss's Law