Charge them up and they maintain that charge until discharged. A capacitor charges when placed in an otherwise complete circuit.
Electrons build up on negative plate and distort the electron orbits of the atoms in the dielectric.
Dielectric electrons exert force on the free electrons of the positive plate, pushing them back to the electron deficient positive terminal of the source. Electrons build up on negative plate and distort the electron orbits of the atoms in the dielectric. These exert a force on the free electrons on the positive plate pushing them back to electron deficient positive terminal of the source. This flow of electrons into and out of capacitor give the appearance of current flow through it. Back to Main Menu.