To explain in more detail, a capacitor is an electronic component that temporarily stores electrical energy in the form of an electric charge. It consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric. When a voltage is applied across the plates, positive and negative charges accumulate on the opposite plates, creating an electric field between them. This stored charge can be released when needed, making capacitors useful in various applications like filtering signals, smoothing power supplies, or storing energy for quick bursts.
- Current (01): Capacitors don't store current; current is the flow of charge, and capacitors store the charge itself, not its movement.
- Voltage (03): While capacitors have a voltage across their plates when charged, they don't store voltage—they store charge, and the voltage is a result of that charge (related by the equation ( V = Q/C ), where ( Q ) is charge and ( C ) is capacitance).
- Power (04): Power is the rate of energy transfer, not what capacitors store. They store energy in the form of charge, which can be converted to power when discharged.
The capacitor in the image is 3.15 µF (microfarads) with a voltage rating of 440 VAC, commonly used in applications like motor circuits or power factor correction.
