Ceramic capacitors do not have high capacity, this means they store relatively little electrical energy. A typical capacity of a ceramic capacitor be in the range of nanofarads (nF).
![]() A selection of electrolytic capacitors (left) and ceramic capacitors (right) of different capacity. (Enlarge) |
![]() Symbol electrolytic capacitor in circuit diagrams. |
![]() Symbol ceramic capacitor in circuit diagrams. |
Electrolytic capacitors have a much higher capacity than ceramic capacitors. It is typically a thousand times higher. This means the capacity is in the range of microfarads (μF).
However, there is another important difference. The electrolytic capacitor has a polarity, that is it has a plus- and a minus pole. However, the ceramic capacitor has no polarity. To make this clear in circuit diagrams, they have different circuit symbols.
Capacity The amount of energy a capacitor can hold is called capacity. The unit of capacity the farad (symbol F). In circuit diagrams and formulas a capacitor is represented by a C. In practice, capacitors have much lower capacity than 1 farad ... 1 millifarad = 1 mF = 0,001 F 1 mikrofarad = 1 μF = 0,000 001 F 1 nanofarad = 1 nF = 0,000 000 001 F 1 pikofarad = 1 pF = 0,000 000 000 001 F |