Capacitors

What are Capacitors also known as?

Condensers

What are Capacitors?

Electrical Storage Units

What are Capacitors constructed using?

Two metal conducting plates with a very thin insulator between them

What is a very thin insulator also known as?

Dielectric

What else can serve as a dielectric?

Air

A capacitor can store an electrical charge because:

The DC source creates an excess of electrons on the negative plate and a shortage of electrons on the positive plate

What does the Electrostatic attraction between the positive and negative charges do?

Keep the charge intact in the capacitor, even when the voltage source is removed

The capacitor will discharge itself if:

A conductor is connected across it, as a path is then created for electrons to flow from the negative to positive plate

What will a Capacitor do for AC?

Allow it to flow across

What will a Capacitor do for DC?

Restrict it from flowing across

What is DC most useful for?

“Charging up” capacitor

What is a capacitors opposition to the flow of current known as?

Capacitive Reactance which is measured in ohms

Capacitive Reactance is inversely proportional to:

The frequency of the AC signal

The higher the frequency:

The less opposition there is to the flow of AC across the capacitor

What is a Farad?

Sufficient capacitance to store one coulomb of electrons with an electrical potential of one volt applied

What happens if a fuse goes over 50 amps or volts?

It will blow