Capacitor Capacitance Calculator

Online calculator for the relationship between capacitance, charge, and voltage

Calculation

Result
Capacitance:
Charge:
Voltage:

Good to know

What is capacitor capacitance?

The capacitance of a capacitor describes its ability to store electric charge. It is an important parameter and is measured in farads \((F)\).

Important units
  • Capacitance \((C)\): F, mF, µF, nF, pF
  • Charge \((Q)\): C, mC, µC, nC
  • Voltage \((U)\): V, kV, mV, µV
Basic formula
\[C = \frac{Q}{U}\]
Capacitance = Charge / Voltage
Plate capacitor
\[C = \varepsilon_0 \cdot \varepsilon_r \cdot \frac{A}{d}\]
\(\varepsilon_0\) = Electric constant, \(\varepsilon_r\) = Permittivity, \(A\) = Area, \(d\) = Distance

Description of capacitor capacitance

The capacitance of a capacitor describes its ability to store electric charge. It is an important parameter for capacitors and is measured in farads \((F)\). A high capacitance means that the capacitor can store a large amount of electric charge at a given voltage.

Calculate capacitance

\[\text{Capacitance} = \frac{\text{Charge}}{\text{Voltage}}\] \[C = \frac{Q}{U}\]

Calculate voltage

\[\text{Voltage} = \frac{\text{Charge}}{\text{Capacitance}}\] \[U = \frac{Q}{C}\]

Calculate charge

\[\text{Charge} = \text{Voltage} \times \text{Capacitance}\] \[Q = U \times C\]

Plate capacitor formula

This formula describes the capacitance of an ideal plate capacitor:

\[C = \varepsilon_0 \cdot \varepsilon_r \cdot \frac{A}{d}\]
Variable legend
  • \(\varepsilon_0\): Electric constant \((8.854 \times 10^{-12} \text{ F/m})\)
  • \(\varepsilon_r\): Relative permittivity (dielectric constant)
  • \(A\): Area of the capacitor plates \((\text{m}^2)\)
  • \(d\): Distance between the plates \((\text{m})\)

Practical example

Example: Plate capacitor

Suppose we have a capacitor with the following properties:

Given:

  • Plate area: \(A = 0.01 \text{ m}^2\)
  • Distance between plates: \(d = 0.001 \text{ m}\) (1 mm)
  • Dielectric constant: \(\varepsilon_r = 2\) (paper)

Calculation:

\[C = 8.854 \times 10^{-12} \times 2 \times \frac{0.01}{0.001}\] \[C = 1.7708 \times 10^{-10} \text{ F} = 177 \text{ pF}\]

The capacitance of the capacitor is therefore 177 pF (picofarad).

Unit conversions
Capacitance units:
1 F = 1,000 mF
1 mF = 1,000 µF
1 µF = 1,000 nF
1 nF = 1,000 pF
Charge units:
1 C = 1,000 mC
1 mC = 1,000 µC
1 µC = 1,000 nC
1 nC = 1,000 pC

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