In this post, we will discuss different factors that affect the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor. The greater the capacitance of a capacitor the greater the charge held by it for the same applied voltage. The factors affecting the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor are: Plate area Plate spacing (distance between the plates) Dielectric material […]
AC Circuits_21
Formulas of the capacitance of parallel plate capacitors
In this post, we will list down a few important formulas that we use to calculate the capacitance of the parallel plate capacitors. But before that, we will have a quick revision of the fundamentals. A parallel-plate capacitor is a pair of two conductors of any shape which are close to each other and have […]
Equivalent capacitance for Capacitors – derivation
Capacitors are manufactured with certain standard capacitances and working voltages. However, these standard values may not be the ones we actually need in a particular application. We can obtain the values we need by combining capacitors. Many combinations of capacitors are possible, but the simplest combinations are a series connection and a parallel connection. Capacitors […]
Inductance & Inductor
In this post, we will discuss Inductance and inductor (choke) and the physics behind these.What is inductance? And what is an inductor? Inductance is the characteristic of an electrical conductor that opposes a change in current flow. An inductor is a device that stores energy within itself in the form of a magnetic field and […]
AC Waveforms of different types
Alternating Current,(AC) is a current that changes direction cyclically, passing first in one direction, then in the other through a circuit. Such alternating currents are produced by generators and other such voltage sources whose polarities alternate between a positive direction and a negative direction rather than being fixed in a constant direction as with DC […]
Measuring frequency & voltage of an Alternating Current (AC) with CRO
An oscilloscope can be used to measure the frequency and voltage of an alternating current. There are two types of oscilloscopes. The traditional cathode-ray oscilloscope (CRO) uses an electron beam. The alternative is a digital oscilloscope, which is likely to be much more compact and which can store data and display the traces later. Practical […]
How does alternating current differ from direct current?
In this post, we will find out the answer to a very common question: “How does alternating current differ from direct current?” Direct current implies that the current flows in a single direction from the positive terminal of a battery or power supply to the negative terminal. This is the normal result when a battery […]
The Transformer equation & Transformer efficiency
In this post we will discuss in detail about the transformer equation and transformer efficiency. We will also solve a few numerical problems using the transformer and efficiency equations. The Transformer equation The secondary potential difference of a transformer depends on the primary potential difference and the number of turns on each coil. You can […]
Transformer – what is it and how it works?
What is a transformer? A transformer is used to change or transform alternating potential difference between (a) the power station and the cables, and (2) between the cables and our home. A typical power station generator produces an alternating potential difference in Kilo Volt(KV) range (like 25 KV). The electricity is delivered via a network […]
Capacitors & Capacitance
Capacitors are components of electrical circuits that temporarily store electric charge. Capacitors are simple passive devices. The capacitor is a component that has the ability or “capacity” to store energy in the form of an electrical charge producing a potential difference across its plates. Capacitors consist of two or more parallel conductive metal or foil […]