In a circuit with capacitors connected in parallel, the total capacitance does what?

In a circuit with capacitors connected in parallel, the total capacitance does what?

• A. Increases
• B. Decreases
• C. Remains the Same
• D. Zero

Answer: (A)

In a parallel arrangement, all capacitors share the same voltage, so their charges add up. Each capacitor stores charge Qi = Ci × V, so the total stored charge at that common voltage is Qtotal = (C1 + C2 + …) × V. The equivalent capacitance is defined as Ceq = Qtotal / V, which gives Ceq = C1 + C2 + … . Therefore, adding capacitors in parallel increases the total capacitance. For example, 4 µF and 6 µF in parallel give 10 µF.

In a parallel arrangement, all capacitors share the same voltage, so their charges add up. Each capacitor stores charge Qi = Ci × V, so the total stored charge at that common voltage is Qtotal = (C1 + C2 + …) × V. The equivalent capacitance is defined as Ceq = Qtotal / V, which gives Ceq = C1 + C2 + … . Therefore, adding capacitors in parallel increases the total capacitance. For example, 4 µF and 6 µF in parallel give 10 µF.