Capacitor and inductor issues with energy storage

What is the difference between a capacitor and an inductor?

The energy of a capacitor is stored within the electric field between two conducting plates while the energy of an inductor is stored within the magnetic field of a conducting coil. Both elements can be charged (i.e., the stored energy is increased) or discharged (i.e., the stored energy is decreased).

What happens if a capacitor is charged or discharged?

Both elements can be charged (i.e., the stored energy is increased) or discharged (i.e., the stored energy is decreased). Ideal capacitors and inductors can store energy indefinitely; however, in practice, discrete capacitors and inductors exhibit “leakage,” which typically results in a gradual reduction in the stored energy over time.

Why are capacitors and inductors important?

Because capacitors and inductors can absorb and release energy, they can be useful in processing signals that vary in time. For example, they are invaluable in filtering and modifying signals with various time-dependent properties.

What are the characteristics of ideal capacitors and inductors?

Delve into the characteristics of ideal capacitors and inductors, including their equivalent capacitance and inductance, discrete variations, and the principles of energy storage within capacitors and inductors. The ideal resistor was a useful approximation of many practical electrical devices.

What are the properties of inductance and capacitance?

They also approximate the bulk properties of capacitance and inductance that are present in any physical system. In practice, any element of an electric circuit will exhibit some resistance, some inductance, and some capacitance, that is, some ability to dissipate and store energy.

What is a constitutive relationship between a capacitor and an inductors?

As we discussed, the devices have constitutive relations that are closely analogous to those of sources. Capacitors source a voltage Q/C and inductors source a current Λ/L, but this simple picture isn’t quite suficient. The issue is that Q and change depending on Λ the current and voltage across the device.