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What a capacitor does

What a capacitor does

Circuit with a battery, resistor, switch and capacitor, plus enlarged capacitor plates labelled +Q and -Q separated by a dielectric

A capacitor stores charge and electrical energy. In the simple parallel-plate model, two conducting plates are separated by an insulating dielectric, so charge builds on the plates rather than crossing the gap.

Capacitance (A-level only) Lesson

  1. A Level
  2. /Physics
  3. /Capacitance (A-level only)

Step-by-step lessons on AQA A Level Physics Capacitance (A-level only). Each one builds up to exam-style questions. Physics is one of the most mathematically demanding A Levels -- at least 40% of the marks require maths skills at Level 2 (GCSE) standard or above, so build calculation and graph-handling fluency alongside the conceptual content from the start.

Lessons