Capacitors and Inductors

Chapter 4
 4.1 Capacitors
• Unlike resistors, which dissipate energy, capacitors and inductors do not dissipate but store
energy
• A capacitor is a passive element designed to store energy in its electric field.
• They are used in the tuning circuits of radio receivers and as dynamic memory
elements in computer systems.
• A capacitor consists of two conducting plates separated by an insulator (or dielectric)
When a voltage source is connected to the capacitor, as shown,
the source deposits a positive charge +q on one plate and a
negative charge – q on the other. The capacitor is said to store
the electric charge.

Capacitance is the ratio of the charge on one plate of a

capacitor to the voltage difference between the two plates,
measured in farads (F)

1 farad = 1 coulomb/volt
C depends on the physical dimensions of the capacitor.

where A is the surface area of each plate, d is the distance between the
plates, and is the permittivity of the dielectric material between the
plates.
To obtain the current-voltage relationship of the capacitor, we take the derivative of both
sides

This is the current-voltage relationship for a capacitor

The voltage-current relation of the capacitor can be obtained by integrating both sides
The instantaneous power delivered to the capacitor is

The energy stored in the capacitor is

Example 1

If we apply the time dependent voltage below to the capacitor in the circuit above.
What will the current flowing in the circuit be? Make sketches of the power and of
the energy stored for the 1 µF capacitor. Current through C is initially zero.

[ 3t for 0<t<3
9 for 3<t<7
-9t +72 for 7<t<8 ]
Solution 1
[ 3t for 0<t<3
9 for 3<t<7
-9t +72 for 7<t<8 ]
[ 3t for 0<t<3
9 for 3<t<7
-9t +72 for 7<t<8 ]
• When V is increasing ,energy stored must be increasing (W =1/2.CV2 ).
The capacitor is thus absorbing energy so its power must be positive.

Hence i must be positive according to PSC.

• When V is decreasing energy stored must be decreasing (W =1/2.CV2 ).

The capacitor is thus releasing energy so power must be negative.
Hence i must be negative according to PSC.
We should note the following important properties of a capacitor:

1.
When the voltage across a capacitor is not changing with time (i.e., dc voltage), the
current through the capacitor is zero. Thus,

2.
The voltage on the capacitor must be continuous.

3.
The ideal capacitor does not dissipate energy. It takes power from the circuit when
storing energy in its field and returns previously stored energy when delivering power
to the circuit.
Example 2
(a) Calculate the charge stored on a 3-pF capacitor with 20 V across it.
(b)Find the energy stored in the capacitor.

Solution 2
Example 3

Solution3
Example 4 Obtain the energy stored in each capacitor shown below under dc conditions.

Solution 4
Under dc conditions, we replace each capacitor
with an open circuit
Obtain the energy stored in each capacitor shown below under dc
conditions
 4.2 Inductors
• An inductor is a passive element designed to store energy in its magnetic field.
• Inductors find numerous applications in electronic and power systems.
• They are used in power supplies, transformers, radios, TVs, radars, and electric motors.
In order to enhance the inductive effect, a practical inductor is usually formed into a
cylindrical coil with many turns of conducting wire, as shown below.
If current is allowed to pass through an inductor, it is found that the voltage across the inductor
is directly proportional to the time rate of change of the current.

where L is the constant of proportionality called the inductance of

the inductor. The unit of inductance is the henry (H)

The inductance of an inductor depends on its physical dimension and construction.

The current-voltage relationship is

The power delivered to the inductor is

The energy stored is

Example 5

Consider the time dependent current connected to the inductor in the circuit
above, what will the voltage across the inductor be from 0 to 10s?

[ 3t for 0<t<3
9 for 3<t<7
-9t +72 for 7<t<8 ]
Solution 5 [ 3t for 0<t<3
9 for 3<t<7
-9t +72 for 7<t<8 ]
• When i is increasing ,energy stored must be increasing (W =1/2.Li2 ).
The inductor is thus absorbing energy so its power must be positive.

Hence V must be positive according to PSC.

• When i is decreasing energy stored must be decreasing (W =1/2.Li2 ).

The inductor is thus releasing energy so power must be negative.
Hence V must be negative according to PSC.
We should note the following important properties of an inductor;

• The voltage across an inductor is zero when the current is constant.

Thus, an inductor acts like a short circuit to dc.

• An important property of the inductor is its opposition to the change in

current flowing through it.
The current through an inductor cannot change instantaneously.

• The ideal inductor does not dissipate energy. The energy stored in it can
be retrieved at a later time. The inductor takes power from the circuit
when storing energy and delivers power to the circuit when returning
previously stored energy
Example 3 The current through a 0.1-H inductor is
Find the voltage across the inductor and the energy stored in it.
Solution 3
Example 4
Consider the circuit shown below. Under dc conditions,
find:
(a) i ,VC and iL
(b) the energy stored in the capacitor and inductor.
Solution 4
(a)
Under dc conditions, we replace the capacitor with an open circuit and the inductor with a short
circuit,
4.3 Problems

1.
Find the voltage across the capacitors in the circuit
shown under dc conditions.

V1=42 V and V2 = 48 V

2.
Find VC , iL and the energy stored in the capacitor
and inductor in the circuit under dc conditions.

Vc=0 V , iL=2 A , Wc= 0 J and WL= 1 J.

3.
For the circuit, calculate the value of R that will
make the energy stored in the capacitor the same as
that stored in the inductor under dc conditions.

R=5Ω

4.
Under steady-state dc conditions, find i and v in the circuit.

i= 3mA and V = 60 V.
5.

6.

7. The voltage across the 4 uF capacitor is shown.

Draw the current waveform through it.
8.
The current through a 5-mH inductor is shown.
Determine the voltage across the inductor at t = 1, 3
and 5 ms.

9.

10.