We are given that there are two capacitors:
4.20 uf
8.50 uf
A. In parallel
The equivalent capacitance of capacitors is similar to
calculating that of a current, they are added when in parallel. Therefore the
equivalent capacitance is:
equivalent capacitance = C1 + C2 + C3 + ...
equivalent capacitance = 4.20 uf + 8.50 uf
equivalent capacitance = 12.70 uf
B. In series
When the capacitors are placed in series, the formula for
the equivalent capacitance is:
equivalent capacitance = 1 / (1/C1 + 1/C2 + 1/C3 + ...)
equivalent capacitance = 1 / (1/4.20 + 1/8.50)
equivalent capacitance = 2.81 uf
