Capacitor [ Definition - Applications - Types ]

What is Capacitor?

Capacitor is a two-terminal electronic device that stores potential energy in an electric field.

It has an effect called capacitance, Engineers have designed it to add Capacitance to a circuit.

It was originally known as a condenser.

How Capacitor work?

• Most Capacitors contain at least two electrical conductors separated by a dielectric medium.
• The non-conducting dielectric acts to increase the capacitor`s charge capacity.
• When two conductors experience a potential difference, For example when a capacitor is attached across a battery, an electric field develops across the dielectric, causing a net positive charge to collect on one plate and net negative charge to collect on the other plate.

Applications

• There are many purposes of the capacitors, from the smallest plastic capacitor in your calculator to the ultracapacitor that powers commuter bus.
• NASA uses glass capacitors to help wake up the space shuttle`s circuitry & help deploy space probes.

Common Types:

1. Air ==>             Often used in radio tuning circuits
   
2. Mylar==>        Timer circucits & counters
   
3. Glass ==>        High voltage applications
   
4. Ceramic==> High-Frequency purposes like antennas, Xrays & MRI machines.
   
5. Super Capacitors==> Power electric & hybird cars.