Experiment 7 - Capacitors in Parallel

Perhaps you do not want to connect 2 million capacitors straight away. But which rules apply to two capacitors in a circuit? First you look at two capacitors in a parallel circuit.

Add to the experiment 5 a 10 μF capacitor in parallel to C1. For this build the circuit shown.

Circuit with two parallel-connected electrolytic capacitors. (Enlarge)

Circuit diagram of the circuit with two parallel-connected electrolytic capacitors.

Observe now the time it is required to load and to discharge the two capacitors. You notice that the LEDs light up twice as long than if only one capacitor is used. It is difficult to accurately determine the time the LEDs is light. However, the total capacity of two capacitors connected in parallel is...

C_total = C₁ + C₂ = 10 μF + 10 μF = 20 μF

In order to obtain the fictitious capacitor from the last experiment with a capacity of 200 farad, you would need to connect 2 million 100 μF capacitor in parallel...

Parallel Circuit

If the components are connected such that there are several paths for the current through the components, it is called a parallel circuit. Strictly speaking, there is the same number of paths as components.

From Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) follows that to all components apply the same voltage.

Experiment 8 - Parallel Circuit II

Experiment 7 - Capacitors in Parallel

Capacitor

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