Capacitor Series Parallel Calculator

Calculate total capacitance for capacitors in series and parallel configurations. Analyze voltage distribution, charge distribution, and energy storage.

Capacitor Configurations

Series Configuration

    โ”€โ”€โ”คโ”œโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”คโ”œโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”คโ”œโ”€โ”€
      C1     C2     C3
      
    1/Ctotal = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + 1/C3
    Q1 = Q2 = Q3 = Qtotal
    V1 + V2 + V3 = Vtotal

Parallel Configuration

    โ”€โ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”คโ”œโ”€โ”ฌโ”€โ”€
      โ”‚ C1 โ”‚
      โ”œโ”€โ”คโ”œโ”€โ”ค
      โ”‚ C2 โ”‚
      โ”œโ”€โ”คโ”œโ”€โ”ค
      โ”‚ C3 โ”‚
      โ””โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”˜
      
    Ctotal = C1 + C2 + C3
    V1 = V2 = V3 = Vtotal
    Q1 + Q2 + Q3 = Qtotal

Configuration Type

Number of Capacitors

Supply Voltage

V

Capacitor Values

ยตF
ยตF

About Capacitor Series and Parallel Combinations

Capacitors can be combined in series or parallel to achieve desired capacitance values and voltage ratings. Understanding these combinations is essential for circuit design.

Series Configuration:

  • Lower Total Capacitance: Always less than smallest individual capacitor
  • Higher Voltage Rating: Voltages add up across capacitors
  • Same Charge: All capacitors have the same charge
  • Voltage Division: Voltage divides inversely with capacitance

Parallel Configuration:

  • Higher Total Capacitance: Sum of all individual capacitances
  • Same Voltage: All capacitors have the same voltage
  • Charge Division: Charge divides proportionally with capacitance
  • Same Voltage Rating: Limited by lowest-rated capacitor

Applications:

  • Series: High voltage applications, voltage dividers
  • Parallel: Energy storage, power supply filtering
  • Mixed: Complex impedance networks, filters