DC Electric Circuits
Capacitance
19 questions By Tony R. Kuphaldt
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Question 19 of 19
∫f(x) dx Calculus alert!
Capacitors store energy in the form of an electric field. We may calculate the energy stored in a capacitance by integrating the product of capacitor voltage and capacitor current (P = IV) over time, since we know that power is the rate at which work (W) is done, and the amount of work done to a capacitor taking it from zero voltage to some non-zero amount of voltage constitutes energy stored (U):P = dW dtdW = P dt U = W = ⌠ ⌡ P dt Find a way to substitute capacitance (C) and voltage (V) into the integrand so you may integrate to find an equation describing the amount of energy stored in a capacitor for any given capacitance and voltage values.
Reveal answerU = 1 2CV2 Notes:The integration required to obtain the answer is commonly found in calculus-based physics textbooks, and is an easy (power rule) integration.