Building Capacitors

Plates, gaps and combinations

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Parallel plates: $C = \varepsilon_0\varepsilon_r A / d$.
• Bigger area, smaller gap or a dielectric increase capacitance.
• Parallel: $C_1 + C_2$. Series: $1/C = 1/C_1 + 1/C_2$.

Steps

1. Two plates
2. Plates and gaps
3. Halve the gap
4. Combining capacitors
5. In series
6. A paper capacitor