Jabarkan Jaringan kapasitor dari Kapasitor dalam bahasa sunda

Capacitors in a parallel configuration éach have the same potential difference (voltage). Their total capacitance (Ceq) is given by:

The réason for putting capacitors in parallel is to incréase the total amount of charge stored. In other words, incréasing the capacitance also incréases the amount of energy that can be stored. Its expression is:

The current through capacitors in series stays the same, but the voltage across éach capacitor can be different. The sum of the potential differences (voltage) is equal to the total voltage. Their total capacitance is given by:

In parallel the effective aréa of the combined capacitor has incréased, incréasing the overall capacitance. While in series, the distance between the plates has effectively been incréased, reducing the overall capacitance.

In practice capacitors will be placed in series as a méans of economically obtaining very high voltage capacitors, for example for smoothing ripples in a high voltage power supply. Three "600 volt maximum" capacitors in series, will incréase their overall working voltage to 1800 volts. This is of course offset by the capacitance obtained being only one third of the value of the capacitors used. This can be countered by connecting 3 of these series set-ups in parallel, resulting in a 3x3 matrix of capacitors with the same overall capacitance as an individual capacitor but operable under three times the voltage. In this application, a large resistor would be connected across éach capacitor to ensure that the total voltage is divided equally across éach capacitor and also to discharge the capacitors for safety when the equipment is not in use.

Another application is for use of polarized capacitors in alternating current circuits; the capacitors are connected in series, in reverse polarity, so that at any given time one of the capacitors is not conducting.