Aircraft Electricity - Capacitance

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to capacitance in aircraft electricity.

Capacitance

The ability of a capacitor to temporarily store electric charge.

Farad

Measured in farads, it represents the capacity to hold one coulomb of electricity under a force of 1 volt.

Capacitor

Two metallic plates separated by an insulator (dielectric) that stores electrical energy in an electrostatic field.

Charging a Capacitor

The process of moving electrons from one plate to the other in a capacitor, creating an electrostatic field.

Fully Charged Capacitor

The voltage across the capacitor equals the voltage of the battery, and the capacitor will remain charged even after the battery is removed.

Leakage Current

Electrons eventually leak through the dielectric, causing a charged capacitor to lose its charge over time.

Electrostatic Field

Electric charges that are stationary or not moving; capacitors store energy in this type of field.

Dielectric Constant

A material constant that indicates how much the capacitance will increase if the dielectric is replaced by the material.

Exponential Rate

Capacitors charge and discharge at this rate, divided into five sections called time constants.

Time Constant

The time it takes for a capacitor to charge or discharge to approximately 63.2% of its full voltage.

RC Circuit

A circuit containing both a resistor and a capacitor.

Capacitors in Series

Connecting capacitors in this configuration decreases total capacitance, similar to increasing the distance between plates.

Capacitors in Parallel

Connecting capacitors in this configuration increases total capacitance, similar to increasing the plate area.

Capacitive Reactance

Resistance to AC current flow caused by capacitance, measured in ohms.

Nonpolarized Capacitors

Capacitors not sensitive to polarity, usable in both AC and DC circuits.

Polarized Capacitors

Capacitors with a defined positive and negative terminal, used only in DC circuits, and offer high capacitance in a small size.

Variable Capacitors

Capacitors whose capacitance value can be adjusted within a specific range.