Electrostatic Capacitance Converter

About Electrostatic Capacitance Conversion

Electrostatic capacitance is a measure of a capacitor's ability to store electric charge for a given electric potential difference (voltage). It is a fundamental property in electrical circuits and systems, representing the ratio of the electric charge on a conductor to the potential difference between conductors. The SI unit of capacitance is the farad (F), named after the English physicist Michael Faraday.

Common Electrostatic Capacitance Conversions

• 1 farad (F) = 1,000 millifarads (mF)
• 1 farad (F) = 1,000,000 microfarads (μF)
• 1 farad (F) = 1,000,000,000 nanofarads (nF)
• 1 farad (F) = 1,000,000,000,000 picofarads (pF)
• 1 microfarad (μF) = 1,000 nanofarads (nF)
• 1 nanofarad (nF) = 1,000 picofarads (pF)
• 1 farad (F) = 9 × 10¹¹ statfarads (statF)
• 1 statfarad (statF) = 1.11 × 10^-12 farads (F)
• 1 abfarad (abF) = 1,000,000,000 farads (F)
• 1 farad (F) = 1 coulomb per volt (C/V)
• 1 jar ≈ 1,110 picofarads (pF) ≈ 1.11 nanofarads (nF)

Understanding Electrostatic Capacitance

Capacitance (C) is defined as the ratio of the electric charge (Q) stored on a conductor to the potential difference (V) between conductors:

C = Q/V

The SI unit for capacitance is the farad (F), which is defined as the capacitance of a capacitor across which, when charged with one coulomb of electricity, there is a potential difference of one volt. Thus, one farad equals one coulomb per volt (C/V).

The farad is a very large unit for practical purposes. Most capacitors in electronic circuits have capacitances measured in microfarads (μF), nanofarads (nF), or picofarads (pF). For example, a typical electrolytic capacitor used in power supplies might have a capacitance of 100-10,000 μF, while a ceramic capacitor used in signal processing might have a capacitance of 10-1,000 pF.

Capacitance Formulas

For a parallel-plate capacitor, the capacitance is given by:

C = ε × A/d

Where:

• ε is the permittivity of the dielectric material between the plates
• A is the area of overlap between the plates
• d is the distance between the plates

This relationship shows that capacitance increases with larger plate area and decreases with greater plate separation.

Applications of Electrostatic Capacitance

Understanding and measuring electrostatic capacitance is important in many fields:

• Electronics (signal filtering, timing circuits, energy storage)
• Power supply design (smoothing, decoupling)
• Radio frequency circuits (tuning, impedance matching)
• Signal processing (coupling, filtering)
• Sensor technology (capacitive touch sensors, proximity detectors)
• Power electronics (power factor correction)
• Electronic memory (DRAM storage cells)

Typical Capacitance Values in Real-World Applications

• Power supply filtering capacitors: 100 μF to 10,000 μF
• Decoupling capacitors: 0.1 μF to 10 μF
• Timing circuit capacitors: 1 nF to 10 μF
• RF coupling capacitors: 1 pF to 1 nF
• Tuning capacitors: 10 pF to 500 pF
• Ceramic capacitors: 1 pF to 1 μF
• Film capacitors: 1 nF to 10 μF
• Electrolytic capacitors: 1 μF to 10,000 μF
• Supercapacitors: 1 F to 5,000 F
• Human body capacitance: approximately 100-200 pF

Historical Units

Before the establishment of the SI system, capacitance was sometimes measured in units such as "jars" (based on the Leyden jar, an early form of capacitor) or in CGS electrostatic units (statfarads) and CGS electromagnetic units (abfarads).

The "jar" was an informal unit approximately equal to 1.11 nanofarads, though its exact value could vary. These historical units are rarely used today, but understanding their conversions can be important when working with historical scientific literature or vintage equipment.

Capacitors in Series and Parallel

When capacitors are connected in parallel, their total capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitances:

C_total = C₁ + C₂ + ... + C_n

When capacitors are connected in series, the reciprocal of the total capacitance is the sum of the reciprocals of the individual capacitances:

1/C_total = 1/C₁ + 1/C₂ + ... + 1/C_n

This is important to consider when designing circuits with specific capacitance requirements.

Our electrostatic capacitance converter provides accurate conversions between all these units, making it easy to translate between different measurement systems for electronic design, circuit analysis, and educational purposes.