CAPACITANCE

Capacitance is a parameter in electrical circuits that describes the ability of a circuit component to store energy in an electrical field. Capacitors are discrete components that can be purchased at the local electronics store, but the capacitance effect can occur whenever conductors are in the vicinity of each other. A 22 BASIC ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC CIRCUITS capacitor can be as simple as two parallel conducting plates, separated by a nonconducting dielectric such as air or even a thin sheet of paper. If the surface area of the plates is large compared to their separation, the capacitance is given by