11

CHAPTER

Capacitance

ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE SLOWS THE FLOW OF AC OR DC CHARGE CARRIERS (USUALLY ELECTRONS) BY “brute force.” Inductance impedes the flow of AC charge carriers by storing the energy as a magnetic field. Capacitance impedes the flow of AC charge carriers by storing the energy as an electric field.

The Property of Capacitance

Imagine two gigantic, flat, thin sheets of metal that conduct electricity well. Suppose that they have equal surface areas the size of the state of Nebraska. We place them one above the other, keep them parallel to each other, and separate them by a few centimeters of space. If we connect these two sheets of metal to the terminals of a battery, as shown in Fig. 11-1, the sheets will charge electrically, one ...

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