Capacitance

Capacitance The ability of a capacitor to collect and store electrical charge is called capacitance. The symbol is C, and the unit is farad (F). It shows the ratio of the electrical charge stored when voltage is applied. The electrical charge stored in a capacitor is Q and the applied voltage is V. When 1V of electrical charge is applied to 1F of capacitance, 1C (coulomb) of electrical charge can be stored between two parallel plates. Here, the voltage (V) and the amount of electrical charge (Q) are in proportion. So, the higher the voltage, the greater the electrical charge. Therefore, when the voltage is equal, the electrical charge is greater for greater capacitance (C). In other words, the relationship between voltage, electrical charge, and capacitance is C = Q/V or Q = CV.