Senior High School

General Physics 2
NOT

Quarter 3 – Module 3
Capacitance and Capacitors

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

General Physics 2
Quarter 3 - Module 3
Capacitance and Capacitors

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Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

FAIR USE AND CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This SLM (Self Learning Module) is
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owned by their respective copyright holders. The publisher and authors do not
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 Table of Contents

What This Module is About………………………………………………………………………..i

What I Need to Know………………………………………………………………………………i

How to Learn from this Module…………………………………………………………………...ii

Icons of this Module………………………………………………………………………………..ii

What I Know………………………………………………………………………………………..iii

Lesson 1: Capacitance and Capacitors

What I Need to Know...…………………………………………………………...1

What Is It…………………………….……………………………………………..1

What I Have Learned…………………………………………………………….3

What I Can Do…………………………………………………………………….3

Lesson 2: Capacitors in Series and Parallel

What’s In………………………………………………………………………… 4

What I Need to Know……………………………………………………………..4

What’s More……………………………………………………………………….5

What I Have Learned…………………..………………………………………...5

Lesson 3: Energy Stored and Electric Field Energy

in Capacitor
What’s In………………………………………………………………………… 6

What I Need to Know…………………………………………………………….6

What I Have Learned…………………………………………………………… 7

What’s More …………………………………………………………………….. 8

Summary………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Assessment: (Post-Test) ……………………………………………...…………………………9
References……………………………………………………………………………………… ..11
 Module 3
Capacitance and Capacitors
What This Module is About
This module showcases your knowledge in Capacitors and Capacitance and critical
problem-solving skills in analyzing capacitors in different network configuration. It also tackles
the fundamental principles of Dielectrics and Capacitor’s Electric Field Energy.

This module has three (3) lessons:

• Lesson 1: Capacitance and Capacitors
• Lesson 2: Capacitors in Series and Parallel
• Lesson 3: Energy Stored and Electric Field Energy in Capacitors

What I Need to Know

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Deduce the effects of simple capacitors (e.g., parallel-plate, spherical, cylindrical) on

the capacitance, charge, and potential difference when the size, potential difference,
or charge is changed (STEM_GP12EM-IIId-23)
2. Calculate the equivalent capacitance of a network of capacitors connected in
series/parallel (STEM_GP12EM-IIId-24)
3. Determine the total charge, the charge on, and the potential difference across each
capacitor in the network given the capacitors connected in series/parallel
(STEM_GP12EM-IIId-25)
4. Determine the potential energy stored inside the capacitor given the geometry and the
potential difference across the capacitor (STEM_GP12EM-IIId-26)
5. Describe the effects of inserting dielectric materials on the capacitance, charge, and
electric field of a capacitor (STEM_GP12EM-IIId-29)
6. Solve problems involving capacitors and dielectrics in contexts such as, but not limited
_ to, charged plates, batteries, and camera flashlamps. (STEM_GP12EM-IIId-30)

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How to Learn from this Module
To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to do the following:
• Take your time reading the lessons carefully.
• Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activities and exercises diligently.
• Answer all the given tests and exercises.

Icons of this Module

ii
 What I Know

PRE-TEST : MULTIPLE CHOICE.

Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the best answer. Write
your answers on the space provide before the number.

___ 1. It is the unit of capacitance.

A) Coulomb B) Volts C) Farad D) Ampere

___ 2. Which of the following refers to the function of a capacitor?

A) It dissipates voltage across the circuit.
B) It absorbs and stores electrical charge.
C) It acts as the main source of electric potential.
D) It allows DC signals to pass through.

___ 3. Capacitor stores which type of energy?

B) vibrational energy
D) heat energy

___ 4. Why does capacitor block dc signal at steady state?

A) Due to high frequency of dc signal.
B) Due to zero frequency of dc signal.
C) Capacitor does not pass any current at steady state.
D) Due to zero frequency of dc signal.

___ 5. If a parallel plate capacitor of plate area 2 m2 and plate separation of 1 m

stores the charge of 1.77 x 10-11 C, what is the voltage across the or?
A) 1V B) 2V C) 3V D) 4V

___ 6. Which of the following is a passive device?

A) Transistor B) Rectifier C) itor D) Vacuum Tubes

___ 7. What is the value of capacitance of a capacitor which has a voltage of 4V and
has 16C of charge?
A) 2F B) 4F C) 6F D) 8F

___ 8. Of which medium is capacitance high?

A) Air B) Mica C) ater D) Metal

___ 9. What is the voltage of a battery connected to a parallel plate capacitor with
a plate area of 2.0 cm2 and a plate separation of 2 mm if the charge stored on
the plates is 4.0 pC?
A) 4.4V B) 4 V C) 4.2V D) 4.5V

___ 10. A typical capacitor in a memory cell have a capacitance of 3 x 10-14 F. If the
voltage across the capacitor is 0.5 V, what is the number of electrons that
must move to the capacitor to charge it?
A) 93750 B) 94500 C) 92350 D) 96430

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 What I Need to Know

Look at your appliances at home. Can you imagine the complex circuitry that
lies behind your common household appliances? Do you know the underlying
components that enables it to operate at ease? These devices and appliances lessen
our workloads in our daily life.

In this lesson, you will learn the use and function of capacitor and define
capacitance.

(a)
Look at picture (a) shown above. What do you think is the use of batteries in our
devices? How important is energy storage in devices and modern electronics?

What Is It
Every complex and modern gadget made today consists of different
electronic components. One of those is known as a capacitor. A Capacitor is a
component which has the ability or “capacity” to store energy in the form of an electrical
charge producing a potential difference (Static Voltage) across its plates, much like a
small rechargeable battery.
There are many different kinds of capacitors which are available from very small
capacitor beads used in resonance circuits to large power factor correction capacitors,
but they all do the same thing, they store charge.

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 (a) Capacitors in different forms (b) Capacitor symbol in a circuit

In its basic form, a capacitor consists of two or more parallel conductive (metal)
plates which are not connected or touching each other but are electrically separated
either by air or by some form of a good insulating material such as waxed paper, mica,
ceramic, plastic, or some form of a liquid gel as used in electrolytic capacitors. The
insulating layer between a capacitors plates is commonly called the Dielectric.
Due to this insulating layer, DC current cannot flow through the capacitor as it
blocks it allowing instead a voltage to be present across the plates in the form of an
electrical charge.
Capacitance is the ability of an object (in this case a circuit element) to store an
electric charge Q. The circuit element that has this property is called a capacitor. When
a capacitor is connected in series to a power supply (in this case, a DC power supply
of potential V), charges – Q and + Q are stored in the plates of the capacitor when
they are connected to the negative and positive terminals of the DC-power supply,
respectively. The potential across the plates of this capacitor is then equal to the
potential V of the power supply. Capacitance C is defined as the ratio of the charge Q
= |±Q| stored in each plate to the potential V between the plates. Mathematically,
capacitance can be defined by

� A
�= = ε0

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 What I Have Learned
Direction: Answer the following questions as directed. For the
calculations, show your solution and encircle the final answer.

1. What is a capacitor?

2. Why do capacitors block DC currents?

3. What is the unit of capacitance?

4. What is the relationship among C, Q, and V?

What I Can Do

Performance Task:

List down all the devices you own with capacitors in it.
Note:
• Only the items found in your home should be listed.
• You may enhance your work using different materials.
• It is handwritten in an A4 bond paper.

Enrichment Activity:

Watch a video through YouTube link below entitled

“The basics how capacitors work working principle”,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4EUwTwZ110

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 What’s In
In the previous lesson, you have learned about the definition of
capacitance and the functions of capacitors. You also learned about the basic
operations of capacitor in DC set-up and its mathematical definition.

In this lesson, you are going to analyze and calculate capacitance in different
capacitor circuit configurations such as series and parallel connection.

What I Need to Know

Capacitors can be installed in a circuit in two different configurations.

1. Series Connection
Electric charge Q is a conserved physical quantity. This means that the total
charge in a circuit stays the same. As a charge Q, therefore, passes through a SERIES
(or a one-path system) connection of capacitors, each capacitor gets the same total
charge Q such that Q1 = Q , Q2 = Q and �� = �1 + �2 + ⋯ + ��.

Capacitors in Series

2. Parallel Connection
When Q passes through a PARALLEL (or a multi-path system) connection of
capacitors, Q splits up according to the number of paths present. In this case, Q = Q1
+ Q2 and �� = �1 + �2 + �3 + ⋯ + ��

Capacitors in parallel
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 What’s More

Derive and Analyze.

Direction. Follow the instruction and derive the formula given.

1. Using the definition C = Q/V, show that for a SERIES connection of capacitors:
1/C = 1/C1 + 1/C2. What does this equation mean? What happens to C as more
and more capacitors are connected in series?

2. Using the definition C = Q/V, show that for a PARALLEL connection of

capacitors: C = C1 + C2. What does this equation mean? What happens to C
as more and more capacitors are connected in parallel?

What I Have Learned

Direction: Calculate the values asked in the following questions with the given circuit
diagram.

1. Determine the values of the following variables in Circuit A.

a. V1
b. V2
c. V3
d. Q1
e. Q2
f. Q3
g. Total Capacitance, CT
h. Total Charge, QT
Circuit A

2. Determine the charge in each capacitor and

the voltage across each capacitor in Circuit B.
Given:
V3 = 5V

Circuit B

Enrichment Activity:

Watch a video through YouTube link below entitled “How To Solve Any Circuit
Problem With Capacitors In Series and Parallel Combinations - Physics”,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-gPuw6JsxQ

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 What’s In

In the previous lesson, you learned to analyze and calculate the values of
capacitance, charge, and voltages across the nodes in series and parallel connection.

In this lesson, we will examine the energy stored in a capacitor as electrostatic

potential energy and its relationship to the charge and voltage.

What I Need to Know

In a charged parallel-plate capacitor, the stored charges ±Q in the plates give

rise an electric field E between the plates. This is illustrated in the figure below:

Electric field in a charged parallel-plate capacitor

To gain insight into how this energy may be expressed (in terms of Q and V),
consider a charged, empty, parallel-plate capacitor; that is, a capacitor without a
dielectric but with a vacuum between its plates. The space between its plates has a
volume Ad, and it is filled with a uniform electrostatic field E. The total energy UC of
the capacitor is contained within this space. The energy density UE in this space is
simply UC divided by the volume Ad. If we know the energy density, the energy can be
found as UC = UE (Ad). We will learn in Electromagnetic Waves (after completing the
study of Maxwell’s equations) that the energy density UE in a region of free space
occupied by an electrical field E depends only on the magnitude of the field and is:

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Multiplying the energy density by the volume between the plates, we obtain
the amount of energy stored between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor

What Have I Learned

Direction. Explain the following.

1. What is the relationship between the electric field E and the electric potential
V between the plates of the capacitor? Explain.

2. Where is the energy stored in a parallel-plate capacitor? Explain.

3. Let the energy stored “in the capacitor” be U. Show that U is given by the
expression: U = 2 Q2/C

�� ��
[Hint: The power P in the capacitor is given by P = = IV where I = . This is
a simple exercise on integration.]

4. Calculate the energy stored in the capacitor network in the figure below
when the capacitors are fully charged and when the capacitances are
C1=12.0μF,C2=2.0μF , and C3=4.0μF , respectively.

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 What’s More

Dielectric is an insulating material or a very poor conductor of electric current.

When dielectrics are placed in an electric field, practically no current flows in them
because, unlike metals, they have no loosely bound, or free, electrons that may drift
through the material. Instead, electric polarization occurs. The positive charges within
the dielectric are displaced minutely in the direction of the electric field, and the
negative charges are displaced minutely in the direction opposite to the electric field.
This slight separation of charge, or polarization, reduces the electric field within the
dielectric.

Dielectric in a parallel-plate capacitor

Summary
Capacitors play an important role in modern electronics. Its significance can
be observed with current development of technology. The mechanism of capacitor to
charge and discharge electrical energy enables modern devices to function
accordingly.
We learned from this lesson the relationship of capacitance to charge and
voltage. Moreover, we were able to analyze the different behaviors of parameters in
series and parallel connections.

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 Assessment: (Post-Test)

MULTIPLE CHOICE.
Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the best answer. Write
your answers on the space provide before the number.

___ 1. Capacitor stores which type of energy?

A) kinetic energy
C) potential energy

___ 2. Why does capacitor block dc signal t steady state?

a A) due to high frequency of dc signal
B) due to zero frequency of dc signal
C) capacitor does not pass any current at steady state
D) due to zero frequency of dc signal

___ 3. What is the value of capacitance of a capacitor which has a voltage of 4V and
has 16 C of charge?
A) 2F ) 4F

___ 4. Which of the following is a passive device?

A) Transistor B) Rectifier C) Capa itor D) Vacuum Tubes

___ 5. Evaluate the circuit shown at the right.

What is the charge of capacitor C3?

A) 30uC
B) 40uC
C) 50uC
D) 60uC

___ 6. Refer to the diagram in item number 5. What is the voltage across C4?
A) 5V B) 10V C) 15V D) 20V

___ 7. Evaluate the circuit shown below. What is the voltage across C1?

A) 5V
B) 10V
C) 15V
D) 20V

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___ 8. Refer to the diagram in item number 7. What is the charge of C4?
A) 60uC B) 80uC C) 50uC D) 70uC

___ 9. A potential difference of 100 mV exists between the outer and inner surfaces of
a cell membrane. The inner surface is negative relative to the outer. How much
work is required to move a sodium ion Na+ outside the cell from the interior?
(Express your answer in electron volts. A singly-charged ion has a charge of
A eV, 1 eV = 1.6 × 10−19 J.)
A) 0.1 eV B) 0.2eV C) -0.1eV D) -0.2eV

___ 10. A parallel-plate capacitor has 4.00 cm2 plates separated by 6.00 mm of air. If
a 12.0V battery is connected to this capacitor, how much energy does it store in
Joules?
A) 4.25 × 10-11 J B) 4 × 10-11 J C)
4.5 × 10 J
-11 D) 3.9 × 10-11 J

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 References

Canva. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://www.canva.com/education

Commission on Higher Education. 2016.General Physics 2 : Teaching Guide for
Senior High School.

n.d. Accessed July 6, 2020.

https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/capacitor/cap_1.html
n.d. Accessed July 6,2020.
https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/University_Physics/Book%3A_Universi
ty_Physics_(OpenStax)/Map%3A_University_Physics_II__Thermodynamics_
Electricity_and_Magnetism_(OpenStax)/08%3A_Capacitance/8.04%3A_Ener
gy_Stored_in_a_Capacitor#:~:text=The%20energy%20UC%20stored,the%20
electrical%20field%20builds%20up.
n.d. Britannica. Accessed July 7, 2020.
https://www.britannica.com/science/dielectric
n.d. Accessed July 7, 2020.
https://www.circuitlab.com/editor/#?id=7pq5wm&from=homepage

FAIR USE AND CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This SLM (Self Learning Module) is
for educational purposes only. Borrowed materials (i.e. songs, stories, poems,
pictures, photos, brand names, trademarks, etc.) included in these modules are
owned by their respective copyright holders. The publisher and authors do not
represent nor claim ownership over them.

11