capacitance

[SaintJude]

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C = Q/V . I know this is an equation that we need to just memorize, but whenever I'm a bit nervous..it rushes out of my head b/c I don't understand the rationale behind it.

Why in this equation C = Q/V is the 'Q' sign for charge in the numerator and not in the denominator?

 

[Arctangent]

If I forget that one, I go back to the idea of capacitance. I think of capacitance like "capacity", or like the storage capacity for charge at a given voltage. Thus, if capacitance is high, at a given voltage, the capacitor has a large capacity for charge, or in other words the ratio of Q/V is high. Conversely, low capacitance suggests a low capacity of Q at a given V, or low ratio of Q/V. In summary, the word capacitance reminds me that C = Q/V, or the capacity of charge at a given voltage.

 

[chiddler]

think of what happens when you increase the voltage in an RC circuit. the amount of charge increases, yes?

so how would you describe capacitance given this fact?

capacitance is how much charge you get per voltage you give. Charge per voltage. Q/V.