AP Physics 2: Circuits Containing Capacitors

Front

What is the effective resistance of three resistors connected in parallel?

Back

The effective resistance (R) of resistors in parallel is given by the formula: 1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3. For example, if R1 = 5Ω, R2 = 10Ω, and R3 = 15Ω, the effective resistance is 30Ω.

Front

What happens to the voltage across a capacitor immediately after a switch is closed?

Back

Immediately after the switch is closed, the voltage across the capacitor is 0 V because it has not yet had time to charge.

Front

How do you calculate the capacitance of a capacitor?

Back

Capacitance (C) is calculated using the formula C = Q/V, where Q is the charge in coulombs and V is the voltage in volts. For example, if a capacitor has a charge of 16C and a voltage of 4V, its capacitance is 4F.

Front

What defines a parallel circuit?

Back

A parallel circuit is defined as a circuit that has more than one path for current to travel.

Front

What is the primary function of a capacitor?

Back

The primary function of a capacitor is to store energy as electric charge.

Front

What is the unit of capacitance?

Back

The unit of capacitance is the farad (F).

Front

What is the relationship between charge, voltage, and capacitance in a capacitor?

Back

The relationship is given by the formula Q = C × V, where Q is the charge, C is the capacitance, and V is the voltage.

Front

What happens to the total capacitance when capacitors are connected in parallel?

Back

When capacitors are connected in parallel, the total capacitance (C_total) is the sum of the individual capacitances: C_total = C1 + C2 + C3.

Front

What is the time constant (τ) in an RC circuit?

Back

The time constant (τ) is defined as τ = R × C, where R is the resistance and C is the capacitance. It represents the time it takes for the voltage across the capacitor to charge to about 63.2% of its maximum value.

Front

What is the formula for the energy stored in a capacitor?

Back

The energy (E) stored in a capacitor is given by the formula E = 1/2 C V², where C is the capacitance and V is the voltage.