Capacitors in Series

Capacitors in Series

In series combination, the capacitors are arranged in series order. We know that the Capacitors are having two plates. The second plate of first Capacitor is connected to the first plate of second capacitor. similarly the second plate of the second capacitor connected to the first plate of the third capacitor and so on . Finally , the first plate of the first capacitor and the second plate of the last capacitor are connected to the opposite terminals of the battery.
Let us connect two Capacitor in series.

Let Q be the charge given to the left plate of the capacitor C₁. By electrostatic induction, a charge -Q appears on inner side of the right plate of C₁. Let V₁, V₂ be the potential difference across C₁, C₂ respectively.
Then total potential is given by

V = V₁ + V₂ QCs = QC1 + QC2 1Cs = 1C1 + 1C2.Where C_s is the effective Capacitance in series
The effective Series capacitance C_s is given by
C_s = C1C2C1+C2.For ‘n’ number of capacitors in series, the effective capacitance can be written as1C = 1C1 + 1C2 + 1C3 + ………………+ 1Cn.