•Two basic types•Ceramic disk•Electrolytic

•Has positive and negative sides

•Farads – unit of measure (F)•Microfarads(uF) and picofarads (pF)•Cans have value written on them•Ceramic use a code. Shorthand because not enough room for entire value

IMPORTANT!

• You MUST put an electrolytic capacitor in correctly with the + and – sides in their proper places.

• The – side is clearly marked on a band with – signs.

-

You will need the following parts from your kit:1. Breadboard2. 1000 ohm resistor (brown, black, red, gold)3. 330 ohm resistor (orange, orange, brown, gold)4. 1000uF capacitor5. 100uF capacitor6. 1 LED (light emitting diode)7. 9 volt battery lead8. 2 wires9. 9 volt battery

Use this schematic to construct the experiment. 1000 ohm

+

-

Flow of current

Flow of current

9 volts

Quick Check: Your circuit should like this one.

See next slide for a close up

330 ohm

+

Copy and label all the components of the schematic in your notes.

Check wiring with this close upThis is the (-) side

All 3 in same row on (+) side

1. Start with the 1000uF capacitor in place.

2. Connect the 9 volt battery.

3. Observe the brightness of the LED.

4. Disconnect the 9 volt battery.

5. Observe what happens to the LED.

6. Replace the 1000uF capacitor with the 100uF capacitor.

7. Reconnect and then disconnect the 9 volt battery

8. Observe what happens to the LED.Troubleshooting:

1. If the LED’s do not light up, check to make sure they in correctly.

2. Check the battery. Does it have voltage?

3. Are there any breaks in the circuit?

4. Is the capacitor in the right way?

1. What happens when the power is applied to the circuit by plugging in the battery?

2. What happens when the power is removed from the circuit by unplugging in the battery?

3. How are the results different using the 1000uF capacitor compared to the 100uF capacitor?

4. Which capacitor stores more energy, the 1000uF or the 100uF? How can you tell?

5. Which kind of capacitors appear to have a greater capacity, the ceramic or electrolytic? (Look in your kit, which have a larger size? That’s a good indicator!)

6. Ceramic capacitors are not polarized. Electrolytic are.Which side is the anode(+) side and which is the cathode side (-) of the electrolytic capacitors? Name 2 ways you can tell.

Use this schematic to answer the questions.

1000 ohm

+

-

Flow of current

Flow of current

9 volts

330 ohm

+

7. What is the purpose of the 2 different resistors in the circuit? Does it appear that electricity is flowing through both the capacitor and the LED when the battery is plugged in? Where does the electricity flow when the battery is unplugged?

8. In complete sentences, write what you learned about a capacitor in a circuit.