The capacitance of a capacitor does not depend on the charge stored on it.
Here's why:
- Capacitance is a fundamental property of a capacitor, determined by its physical characteristics. It represents the capacitor's ability to store electric charge.
- Charge stored is a variable that depends on the voltage applied across the capacitor.
Think of it like this:
- Capacitance is like the size of a bucket. It determines how much water it can hold.
- Charge is like the amount of water actually in the bucket.
The size of the bucket (capacitance) doesn't change based on how much water is in it (charge).
Here's what capacitance does depend on:
- Area of the plates: Larger plates can store more charge, leading to higher capacitance.
- Distance between the plates: Smaller distances between plates result in stronger electric fields and higher capacitance.
- Dielectric constant of the material between the plates: Materials with higher dielectric constants can store more charge for a given voltage, increasing capacitance.
