NAME: Abdul-Hamid Opeoluwa Arowona

MATRIC NUMBER: 23120211035

GROUP NUMBER: 9
INSTRUCTOR’S NAME: DR. NORBERT EDOMAH
DATE: Monday, March 11th, 2024.

Measurement of the Capacitance of a Capacitor

Introduction
Devices specially constructed to possess capacitance are called capacitors. In its simplest
form a capacitor consists of two plates which are separated by an insulating material known
as a dielectric. A capacitor has the ability to store a quantity of static electricity.
The symbols for a fixed capacitor and a variable capacitor used in electrical circuit diagrams
are shown in Figure 1.0.

Figure 1.0: Capacitor symbols in circuit digrams.

The charge Q stored in a capacitor is given by:

𝑸 = 𝑰 × 𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒔
where I is the current in amperes and t the time in seconds
Capacitance is the amount of charge that a capacitor can store per unit of voltage across its
plates is its capacitance, designated C. That is, capacitance is a measure of a capacitor’s
ability to store charge. The more charge per unit of voltage that a capacitor can store, the
greater its capacitance, as expressed by the following formula:
𝑸
𝑪 =
𝑽

Where:
C = capacitance,
Q = charge,
V = voltage.
 Figure 2.0: A capacitor with applied voltage v.

The Unit of Capacitance, the farad (F) is the basic unit of capacitance. Recall that the
coulomb (C) is the unit of electrical charge.
One farad is the amount of capacitance when one coulomb (C) of charge is stored with one
volt across the plates.
Most capacitors that are used in electronics work have capacitance values that are specified
in microfarads (µF) and picofarads (pF). A microfarad is one-millionth of a farad (1 µF = 1 x
10-6 F), and a picofarad is one-trillionth of a farad (1 pF = 1 x 10-12 F).

Aim
The aim of this experiment was to identify capacitors and to measure the value of the
capacitance of a capacitor and compare it with the nominal value given by the manufacturer.

Materials:
• A set of Capacitors – 47nF, 100µF, 10nF, 100nF, 820pF, 33nF, 220µF, 47µF
• Digital LCR meter
• Bread board

Procedure
To get the theoretical values of the resistors, the capacitors were carefully examined with
the aid of a magnifying glass to identify the readings on them. The probes between each
plate of the capacitor and the terminals of the digital LCR multimeter were connected. The
meter was placed in the corresponding mode to measure the capacitance. The identified
and measured capacitance values were recorded in a table.

Figure 3.0: A capacitor connected to a digital LCR meter.

Results

Table 1. Capacitor values.

Theoretical 47nF 100µF 10nF 100nF 820pF 33nF 220µF 47µF

value
Experimental 48.3nF 91.4µF 10.2nF 107.6nF 731pF 37.5nF 187µF 44.2µF
value
Error 0.028 0.086 0.020 0.076 0.109 0.136 0.150 0.060
(tolerance)

Discussion
The primary aim of this experiment was to identify capacitors and to measure the value of
the capacitance of a capacitor and compare it with the nominal value given by the
manufacturer. The results largely align with the aim, demonstrating a successful
identification of capacitors. However, it's important to acknowledge the presence of
tolerance in capacitance values, which explains slight variations between the identified and
measured resistances (Table 1). The 10nF capacitor has the lowest tolerance while the 220µF
capacitor has the highest tolerance. The observed variations in resistance values due to
tolerance are consistent with the broader understanding in the field, emphasizing the real-
world considerations in circuit design.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the conducted experiment successfully achieved its primary objectives of
capacitor identification and measurement of the value of the capacitance of a capacitor. The
discussion highlights the importance of considering real-world factors that may introduce
deviations from the theoretical expectations The findings provide valuable insights into the
behaviour of capacitors under varying electrical conditions and contribute to the broader
understanding of fundamental electrical principles.
References

A. (2023, May 8). Capacitor and Capacitance - Formula, Uses, Factors Affecting
Capacitance, FAQs. BYJUS. https://byjus.com/physics/capacitor-and-capacitance/

Ling, S. J., Sanny, J., Moebs, W., & Janzen, D. (2018, November 28). 4.1 Capacitors and
Capacitance. Pressbooks. https://openpress.usask.ca/physics155/chapter/4-1-capacitors-and-
capacitance/

Bird, J. (n.d.). Electrical and electronic principles and technology. Routledge.