Physics › Section N · Electric potential and capacitance › Topic N.4
Capacitors and dielectrics
A capacitor holds separated charge ready to be released in an instant, which is how a camera flash fires and a phone screen senses your finger. How much it holds depends on the voltage applied, the size and spacing of its plates, and the insulator between them.
In this topic
- Two conductors, kept apart
- Charge is proportional to voltage
- The farad
- The parallel-plate capacitor
- Worked example: a home-made capacitor
- Dielectrics
- How a dielectric works
- Dielectric strength
- Worked example: inserting a dielectric
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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