Revision: Capacitors
A capacitor is a device used to store charge.
They can also store energy, in the form of electrical energy due to the electrical field that is generated between the charged plates.
When in a circuit containing a cell and a resistor capacitors collect charge on these plates. One plate collects positive charge and the other collects negative charge. You may therefore say that a capacitors overall charge is 0 as the plates cancel out. Well not quite as when we talk about the charge a capacitor holds we refer to the amount on just ONE of the plates.
Circuit symbols for capacitors
They are made of two parallel metal plates which are separated by an insulting material called a dielectric. These are two types of main capacitor, electrolytic and non-electrolytic.
Electrolytic capacitors can store a greater amount of charge but are polarized (have a +ve and -ve lead) and therefore must be connected in the correct way. Reversing the polarities of an electrolytic capacitor results in their being damaged and possibly exploding.
Non-electrolytic capacitors store slightly less charge but are not polarized and can be connected anywhere in a circuit.
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