Chapter 7
Getting Charged Up about Capacitors
IN THIS CHAPTER
Storing electrical energy in capacitors
Charging and discharging capacitors
Saying “no” to DC and “yes” to AC
Creating the dynamic duo: capacitors and resistors
Blocking, filtering, smoothing, and delaying signals
If resistors are the most popular electronic component, capacitors are a close second. Skilled at storing electrical energy, capacitors are important contributors to all sorts of electronic circuits — and your life would be a lot duller without them.
Capacitors make it possible to change the shape (the pattern over time) of electrical signals carried by current — a task resistors alone cannot perform. Although they’re not as straightforward to understand as resistors, capacitors are essential ingredients in many of the electronic and industrial systems you enjoy today, such as radio receivers, computer memory devices, and automobile airbag-deployment systems, so it’s well worth investing your time and brain power ...
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