Answer to Question #159899 in Electric Circuits for Rashinda

Question

If 3 unequal capacitors, initially uncharged, are connected in series acrosd a battery. Which of the following statements is true?
(a) The equivalent capacitance is greater than any of the individual capacitances.
(b) The largest voltage appears across the smallest capacitance.
(c) The largest voltage appears across the largest capacitanvce
(d) The capacitor with the largest capacitance has the greatest charge .

Answer 1

For a series connection of capacitors, the magnitude of charge on all plates will be the same (all the capacitors have the same charge). The voltage across the capacitor can be written as follows:

$$V=\dfrac{Q}{C}.$$

As we can see from the formula, the largest voltage appears across the smallest capacitance. Therefore, the correct answer is (b).

Answer:

(b) The largest voltage appears across the smallest capacitance.