MAHARISHI

INTERNATIONAL
RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
Physics Investigatory project
( ACADEMIC 2023-2024)

Name: [Link]
Class: XII
SEC : A5
 Index
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[Link] WITH FIGURES
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10. PRECAUTIONS
11. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 CAPACITOR

AIM:
To store electrical energy in an electric field by
accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces
that are insulated from each [Link] stores electrical
energy through distributing charged particles on (generally two)
plates to create a potential difference.

INTRODUCTION:
A capacitor is a two-terminal electrical device that can store
energy in the form of an electric charge. It consists of two
electrical conductors that are separated by a distance. The space
between the conductors may be filled by vacuum or with an
insulating material known as a dielectric. The ability of the
capacitor to store charges is known as [Link]
store energy by holding apart pairs of opposite charges. The
simplest design for a capacitor is a parallel plate, which consists
of two metal plates with a gap between them. But, different
types of capacitors are manufactured in many forms, styles,
lengths, girths, and [Link] are widely used in
electrical engineering for functions such as energy storage,
power factor correction, voltage compensation and many others.
THEORY:
Any arrangement of two conductors separated by an electric
insulator (i.e., dielectric) is a capacitor. An electric charge
deposited on one of the conductors induces an equal charge of
opposite polarity on the other conductor. The electric field in the
region between the conductor is proportional to the charge ie if
the charge of the capacitor is doubled the electric field also gets
doubled. If the potential difference V is the work done per unit
positive charge in small test charge from the conductor 2 to 1
against the field. V is proportional to Q and the ratio Q/V is a
constant
C=Q/V
The constant C is called capacitance C is independent of Q or V.
The capacitance only depends on geometrical configuration and
nature of dielectric material. SI unit is farad.

PRINCIPLE:
Capacitor works on the principle that the capacitance of a
conductor increase appreciably when an earthed conductor is
brought near it. Thus a capacitor has two plates separated by a
distance having equal and opposite charges.

Parallel Plate capacitor : Consider a parallel plate capacitor

having two plane metallic plates A and B, placed parallel to each
other (fig) The plates carry equal and opposite charges +Q and
-Q respectively.

charges +Q and -Q remains uniform, but at the edges, the

electric lines of force deviate outward. If the separation between
the plates is much smaller than the size of plates, the electric
field strength between the plates may be assumed
[Link] A be the area of each plate, ‘d" the separation
between the plates, K the dielectric constant of medium between
the plates. If is the magnitude of charge density of plates, then σ
= Q/A
The electric field strength between the plates E=σ/Kε0.
The potential difference is V=Qd/kε0 A

Construction with figures

A capacitor is created out of two metal plates and an insulating
material called a dielectric. The metal plates are placed very
close to each other, in parallel, but the dielectric sits between
them to make sure they don't touch. Your standard capacitor
sandwich: two metal plates separated by an insulating dielectric.

WORKING
[Link] the following circuit, which shows the
working principle of a parallel plate capacitor with a dielectric
between them.
2. Apply the voltage V as shown in the circuit, with plate 1
being positive and plate 2 being negative. An electric field
appears across the capacitor.
3. When the voltage is supplied to these plates, plate 1 will carry
a positive charge from the battery, and plate 2 will carry a
negative charge from the battery.
4. The voltage is supplied for a period of time, during which
time the capacitor is charged to its maximum holding charge,
and this period is referred to as the capacitor's charging time.
5. After a period of time, when the capacitor has reached its full
charging capacity, we will turn off the electricity to the
capacitor. The two plates have a negative and positive charge for
a period of time.
6. As a result, the capacitor serves as a source of electricity. If
these plates are connected to a load, current flows from plate 1
to plate 2 until all charges on both plates have been dissipated.
7. The time it takes for the capacitor to discharge is referred to
as the dissipation time.

CONCLUSION
The function of a capacitor is to obtain, hold, and store charge,
especially in the case of short. It was seen in this experiment that
a capacitor can be charged up to the point where its voltage is
the same as the voltage across the battery. It was found that as
the plates of a capacitor are charged up to that point, it becomes
more difficult to add more charge onto the plates, which is due
to the repulsive forces that occur between the positive charges
attempting to be added and the already existing positive plate of
the capacitor. It was also seen that even after disconnecting the
battery from the capacitor, the capacitor maintained its voltage
for a period of time, which shows that capacitors do indeed hold
and store [Link] studying capacitors in parallel circuits
and series circuits, it was found that there were certain trends
regarding the voltage across the capacitors. In parallel circuits, it
was determined that the voltage across the battery and the
voltages across each individual capacitor were the same,
regardless of the difference in capacitance. However, the charge
on each individual capacitor is not the same. The opposite can
be said of capacitors in series, since each capacitor holds the
same charge but the voltages across the battery and the two
capacitors are all different. Moreover, the larger the capacitor in
a series circuit, the smaller its voltage.

APPLICATION
Capacitors have many uses in electronic and electrical
systems. They are so ubiquitous that it is rare that an electrical
product does not include at least one for some purpose.
Capacitors allow only AC signals to pass when they are charged
blocking DC signals. The main components of filters are
capacitors. Capacitors have the ability to connect one circuit
segment to another.

Capacitor is a primary storage device widely used to store

electric charges in an electric field and release them whenever
required. Nearly every electronic device needs Capacitors as it
serves various quintessential purposes in an electric circuit. It
provides different filter prospects, noise reduction, flexible
power storage, and sensing abilities, among other application .

DISADVANTAGE
Limited energy storage: Capacitors have a limited energy
storage capacity, which means that they can store only a small
amount of energy compared to batteries and other energy storage
devices. This limits their use in applications where a large
amount of energy is required. Voltage sensitivity: Many types of
capacitors are sensitive to the applied voltage and can be
damaged if the voltage exceeds their rating. This can be a
problem in circuits where high voltage spikes or transients are
[Link]: Some types of capacitors, such as
electrolytic capacitors, are polarized, which means that they
have a positive and a negative terminal and must be connected
to the circuit in the correct orientation. If they are connected
backward, they can be damaged or destroyed.

PRECAUTIONS
1. Never ever touch a live capacitor terminals or wires.
2. Never exceed rat ined voltage across its terminals. Beyond
a small temporary overvoltage, it cannot bear it and gets
damaged.
3. Never short the terminals. This can create heavy spark ,
damage its terminals, sometimes burn the terminations and
wires, and even cause welding at terminals
4. When discharging, short the capacitor terminals through a
resistance first, then short them directly by a wire. Only
after this you can handle the capacitor safely
5. In case is of metal container, it should preferably be
earthed.
6. Power capacitors at supply voltage usually always have
discharge resistors permanently connected between
terminals. Allow at least one minute to allow terminal
voltage to fall to safe level.
 BIBILOGRAPHY
● Class 12 physics ncert textbook
● [Link]
● [Link]
● [Link]
● [Link]