Capacitance is a fundamental property of a capacitor, which measures its ability to store electric charge per unit of applied voltage. It is defined as the ratio of the amount of charge stored on the plates to the voltage across them. The unit of capacitance is the farad (F).
A capacitor consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric. When a voltage is applied, opposite charges accumulate on the plates, creating an electric field and storing energy.
The capacitance depends on:
- The area of the plates (larger area = more capacitance),
- The distance between them (closer plates = more capacitance),
- The dielectric material used (some materials increase storage capacity).
Capacitors are essential in electronic circuits for filtering signals, stabilizing power supplies, and timing operations. Their ability to quickly store and release energy makes them critical in applications ranging from smartphones to power grids.