Webquest:  Capacitors

Answer these questions on your own paper.
  1. What is a capacitor?
  2. Describe an example of a natural capacitor.
  3. What are capacitors used for?
  4. What is a dielectric?
  5. What is capacitance?
  6. What is the unit of capacitance?  How is it defined?
  7. What determines the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor?  Identify the three factors that determine the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor, and describe how each one affects capacitance.
  8. What happens to the charge on a capacitor when the capacitor is discharged?
  9. How are capacitors used in condenser microphones?
  10. How are capacitors used in radio receivers?
  11. Read pp. 602-607 in your textbook.  Do the problems on p. 607 (Practice B).
Made 15 February 2007
by Lori Andersen.