Understanding to store a charge in a capacitor (This experiment is used to explains capacitors stored process in school level project )


The capacitance is a property of a conducting body or system that determines the magnitude of the charge that is produced thereby unit potential. The symbol is C. The unit of capacitance is the farad but it is usually more convenient to make use of the micro farad.  



Any system, possessing appreciable capacitance, in which an appreciable charge is produced by application of an e.m.f. it the e.m.f. is continuous, only a momentary rush of current will be produced, but if the e.m.f. is alternating, a current will surge in and out of the capacitor which will be in advance of the e.m.f. in phase. Capacitors are therefore used to improve the power factor of a system. Formerly more usually called condenser or capacity.

Capacitors are widely used in electronic and electrical systems. A capacitor stores an electrical charge between two conductors separated by an insulator. This is similar to a battery. One plate of the capacitor is positively charged, while the other has a negative charge.

The charge stored in a capacitor is proportional to the potential difference between the two plates. For a capacitor with charge Q on the positive plate and Q on the negative plate, the charge is proportional to the potential.

Capacitance C = charge (Q)/ voltage (V)

Understanding by experiment: How to store a charge in a capacitor?

We can easily understand the capacitor’s storage process with the help of a simple circuit diagram. This simple experiment exhibits the capacitor’s storage method.




Required electronics materials:

One LED

Resistor 220 Ω

Resistor 1k Ω

Capacitor (1000 µF)

Battery (9V)

Connecting wire

Wire stripper



Step 1

First place the 220 Ω and 1 K Ω resistors on the breadboard or soldering on the board. And connect one end of the 220 Ω resistors to the 1K Ω resistor.

Step 2

Place the 1000 µF capacitor on the board and connect the positive of the capacitor to the junction of the 220 µF resistor and 1K Ω resistor.

Step 3

Connect the other end of the 1K Ω resistor to the anode of the LED and connect the negative of the capacitor to the cathode of the LED.

Step 4

Then the positive of the battery should be connected to the other end of the 220 Ω resistors and the negative of the battery is to be connected to the negative of the capacitor. Now we can see the LED glow.


After some time, remove the battery from the circuit and we can see the LED retaining charge for some time before it is turned off. This is due to the 1000 µF capacitor discharging the charge.
Understanding to store a charge in a capacitor (This experiment is used to explains capacitors stored process in school level project ) Understanding to store a charge in a capacitor (This experiment is used to explains capacitors stored process in school level project ) Reviewed by knowledge people creators on December 13, 2019 Rating: 5
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