When capacitors are connected in parallel, the total capacitance is

When capacitors are connected in parallel, the total capacitance is

• A. Equal to the product of the capacitances
• B. Equal to the reciprocal of the sum of reciprocals
• C. Equal to the sum of the capacitances
• D. Equal to the largest capacitor

Answer: (C)

When capacitors are connected in parallel, the same voltage appears across each capacitor. Each one stores charge according to Q_i = C_i V. The total charge is the sum of all these charges: Q_total = V × (C1 + C2 + ...). Since total capacitance is defined by C_total = Q_total / V, it follows that C_total = C1 + C2 + ... . So the total capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitances. This is different from a series arrangement, where the reciprocals add: 1/C_total = Σ(1/C_i). The idea that the total would be the largest capacitor only isn’t correct, because all capacitors contribute to the overall capacity when they share the same voltage.

When capacitors are connected in parallel, the same voltage appears across each capacitor. Each one stores charge according to Q_i = C_i V. The total charge is the sum of all these charges: Q_total = V × (C1 + C2 + ...). Since total capacitance is defined by C_total = Q_total / V, it follows that C_total = C1 + C2 + ... . So the total capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitances. This is different from a series arrangement, where the reciprocals add: 1/C_total = Σ(1/C_i). The idea that the total would be the largest capacitor only isn’t correct, because all capacitors contribute to the overall capacity when they share the same voltage.