Download Capacitors and Inductors: Storing Energy and Their Impact on Circuit Behavior and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Calculus in PDF only on Docsity! Capacitors and inductors ENGR40M lecture notes — July 21, 2017 Chuan-Zheng Lee, Stanford University Unlike the components we’ve studied so far, in capacitors and inductors, the relationship between current and voltage doesn’t depend only on the present. Capacitors and inductors store electrical energy—capacitors in an electric field, inductors in a magnetic field. This enables a wealth of new applications, which we’ll see in coming weeks. Quick reference Capacitor Inductor Symbol Stores energy in electric field magnetic field Value of component capacitance, C inductance, L (unit) (farad, F) (henry, H) I–V relationship i = C dv dt v = L di dt At steady state, looks like open circuit short circuit General behavior In order to describe the voltage–current relationship in capacitors and inductors, we need to think of voltage and current as functions of time, which we might denote v(t) and i(t). It is common to omit (t) part, so v and i are implicitly understood to be functions of time. The voltage v across and current i through a capacitor with capacitance C are related by the equation C + − v i i = C dv dt , where dv dt is the rate of change of voltage with respect to time.1 From this, we can see that an sudden change in the voltage across a capacitor—however minute—would require infinite current. This isn’t physically possible, so a capacitor’s voltage can’t change instantaneously. More generally, capacitors oppose changes in voltage—they tend to “want” their voltage to change “slowly”. Similarly, in an inductor with inductance L, L + −v i v = L di dt . An inductor’s current can’t change instantaneously, and inductors oppose changes in current. Note that we’re following the passive sign convention, just like for resistors. 1That is, the derivative of voltage with respect to time. If you haven’t studied calculus, think of this as the slope of the curve at a given time t, if you draw a graph of voltage against time. Combinations in series and parallel Inductors combine similarly to resistors: L1 L2 L1 L2 Ls = L1 + L2 Lp = ( 1 L1 + 1 L2 )−1 = L1L2 L1 + L2 Capacitors, however, are the other way round: C1 C2 C1 C2 Cs = ( 1 C1 + 1 C2 )−1 = C1C2 C1 + C2 Cp = C1 + C2 Steady state analysis Steady state refers to the condition where voltage and current are no longer changing. Most circuits, left undisturbed for sufficiently long, eventually settle into a steady state. In a circuit that is in steady state, dv dt = 0 and di dt = 0 for all voltages and currents in the circuit—including those of capacitors and inductors. Thus, at steady state, in a capacitor, i = C dv dt = 0, and in an inductor, v = L di dt = 0. That is, in steady state, capacitors look like open circuits, and inductors look like short circuits, regardless of their capacitance or inductance. in steady state, looks like in steady state, looks like (This might seem trivial now, but we’ll use this fact repeatedly in more complex situations later.) Practical matters − + polarized capacitor Manufacturers typically specify a voltage rating for capacitors, which is the maximum voltage that is safe to put across the capacitor. Exceeding this can break down the dielectric in the capacitor. Capacitors are not, by nature, polarized : it doesn’t normally matter which way round you connect them. However, some capacitors are polarized—in particular, electrolytic capacitors, where the insulator is a very thin oxide layer that would be depleted if a negative voltage is applied. In schematics, if a capacitor is polarized, we use a special symbol for it, as shown right. 2
