Connecting two or more capacitors in parallel gives ____________ capacitance.

Connecting two or more capacitors in parallel gives ____________ capacitance.

• A. More
• B. The same
• C. Less
• D. Zero

Answer: (A)

When capacitors are connected in parallel, they all share the same voltage across them. Each capacitor stores charge proportional to that voltage, Q = C V. The total charge stored by the combination is the sum of the individual charges, so Q_total = Q1 + Q2 + ... = (C1 + C2 + ...) V. The effective capacitance of the whole arrangement is C_total = Q_total / V, which simplifies to C_total = C1 + C2 + ... . This means the overall capacitance increases as you add more capacitors in parallel. A helpful way to see it is that parallel adds plate area for storing charge, allowing more charge to be stored at the same voltage. In contrast, series configurations produce a smaller effective capacitance, and zero isn’t possible with finite capacitors.

When capacitors are connected in parallel, they all share the same voltage across them. Each capacitor stores charge proportional to that voltage, Q = C V. The total charge stored by the combination is the sum of the individual charges, so Q_total = Q1 + Q2 + ... = (C1 + C2 + ...) V. The effective capacitance of the whole arrangement is C_total = Q_total / V, which simplifies to C_total = C1 + C2 + ... . This means the overall capacitance increases as you add more capacitors in parallel.

A helpful way to see it is that parallel adds plate area for storing charge, allowing more charge to be stored at the same voltage. In contrast, series configurations produce a smaller effective capacitance, and zero isn’t possible with finite capacitors.