Re: Capacitor - series?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br> 

Tesla list wrote:

 > Original poster: "Luke" <Bluu-at-cox-dot-net>
 >
 > Ok all this has me a bit confused.
 > I am STILL of the inclination that:
 > the two caps WILL NOT see the same voltage
 > if they are of DIFFERENT VALUES.

The current in all the capacitors is the same, for any waveform.
The voltages in them are the integral of this current (the same
for all or them) divided by their capacitances.
(This is simply due to Q=CV, or V=Q/C. The charge fed to all the
capacitors by the current is the same.)
So, the voltages are proportional to the inverses of the
capacitances.
Just a detail: If a capacitor is initially charged, add the
initial voltage to the voltage caused by the current.

Note that the "value" of a capacitor is its capacitance.
The voltage only saye how much voltage it can sustain without
failing.

 > Some are saying they will see the same voltage.

They are wrong.
If the applied voltage is continuous, or varies slowly enough,
and there are identical resistors across the capacitors, and
you wait enough time for the stabilization of the voltages,
then they are identical, because when current ceases to flow
through the capacitors it flows only through the resistors in
parallel with them.

 > What seems to be the verdict among the guys that know their stuff?

The text by Matt said everything.

 > Original poster: Mddeming-at-aol-dot-com
 >...
 > This capacitor question is only one
 > small example of the larger problem.

Fortunately a relatively rare example, but a serious one...

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz