ABSTRACT
W = 12 CV2 joules• describe practical types of capacitor • understand the precautions needed when discharging capacitors
6.1 Introduction to capacitors
Acapacitor is an electrical device that is used to store electrical energy. Next to the resistor, the capacitor is the most commonly encountered component in electrical circuits. Capacitors are used extensively in electrical and electronic circuits. For example, capacitors are used to smooth rectified a.c. outputs, they are used in telecommunication equipment — such as radio receivers — for tuning to the required frequency, they are used in time delay circuits, in electrical filters, in oscillator circuits, and in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in medical body scanners, to name but a few practical applications.
