Capacitors and Capacitance

In this chapter we introduce capacitors, which are one of the simplest circuit elements. Capacitors are charge-storing devices that can store energy in the form of an electric potential energy, and are commonly used in a variety of electric circuits. Apart from being energy-storing devices, capacitors can be used to accumulate charges relatively slowly during the charging process, or to minimize voltage variations in electronic power supplies, or to detect electromagnetic waves, such as when tuning a radio receiver. We shall first study the properties of capacitors and dielectrics, and follow that by studying capacitors in combination, and finally studying capacitors as electric charge-storing devices.