Shi I'm learning as I do this capacitance BS

✅ Capacitors in SERIES

Rule 1: Charge is the same on every capacitor

Q_1 = Q_2 = Q_3 = Q_{\text{total}}

Why?
Because in series there is only one path for charge to flow. Whatever charge moves onto the first plate must move onto all the plates.

Rule 2: Voltage splits

V_{\text{total}} = V_1 + V_2 + V_3

Biggest voltages go across the smallest capacitances (because (V = \frac{Q}{C})).

✅ Capacitors in PARALLEL

Flip the rules:

Rule 1: Voltage is the same across each capacitor

[
V_1 = V_2 = V_3 = V_{\text{battery}}
]

Rule 2: Charge splits

[
Q_{\text{total}} = Q_1 + Q_2 + Q_3
]

Larger capacitances take more charge.

✔ Summary Table

🔥 Intuition (this helps for tests)

• Series = same current path → same charge.

• Parallel = same connection to battery → same voltage.