in the following diagram, can someone tell me why are they in parallel?

Question

the capacitors A, B, and C.... why are they in parallel?


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please some brief answers...... detailed ones.... including the shortest to shortest details.... i am bloody weak in this.....

i am getting confused here because the left plate of A is connected to the left plate of C but not to the left plate of B...... same way, the right plate of A is connected to the right plate of C but not the right plate of B......

should't all the left plates and all the right plates be connected together to make them in parallel?

Answer 1

You are getting confused that all the right plates must be connected together to be a parallel circuit. For capacitors to be in parallel, one plate from each must be at the same potential. And the other plates at a different potential.



Follow the wiring. A(right) and B (left) and C (right ) are all at the same potential. Likewise the other plates are also at the same potential. Voila! You have parallel capacitors.



If they were in series, all the plates would have a different potential.

Answer 2

Because there is a path that exists for EVERY capacitor exclusively in the circuit.





I.e. : there is a path through exclusively capacitor A

There is a path through exclusively capacitor B

There is a path through exclusively capacitor C





This path argument explains the flow of charge laws fitting a parallel configuration, but is it consistent with a voltage loop law?







To find out, label the points 1 through 4, with 1 and 2 on either side of capacitor A...2 and 3 on either side of capacitor B...and 3 and 4 on either side of capacitor C. The question? What voltage level is each of these numbered nodes at?





Node 1: You immediately see a direct connection to node O. Hence voltage O.



Node 2: the bypass loop around capacitors B and C leaves it directly connected to node P. Hence voltage P.



Node 3: the bypass loop around capacitors A and B leaves it directly connected to node O. Hence voltage O.



Node 4: You immediately see a direct connection to node P. Hence voltage P.





Label each node with the voltage of the node. Now realize that ALL capacitors connect a node of voltage O to a node of voltage P, without ever passing through another capacitor. This is why the capacitors are equivalently arranged to being in parallel.





"Lesson here: don't draw screwy diagrams! :-)"



I couldn't agree more. This is precisely what they are trying to teach you, is how to resolve a screwy diagram.

Answer 3

One side of each C are hooked together. This is called a network node. The other side of each C are hooked together. This forms a second node. There are no wires going from the first node to the second node, so the C's are not shorted.



So they are by definition in parallel.



Lesson here: don't draw screwy diagrams! :-)

Answer 4

Left and right don't matter, these caps are not polarized. One side of all three caps is connected to the source, one side of all three caps is connected to the sink. They are in parallel.