A capacitor of capacitance 2 uF is charged to 100 V. Find the energy of the capacitor — Physics problems | PhysLabo
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Energy of a charged capacitor

Easy 10 grade Electricity / Electrostatics

A capacitor of capacitance $C = 2$ uF is charged to a voltage $U = 100$ V. Find the energy stored in the capacitor.

Given
  • $C = 2$ uF $= 2 \cdot 10^{-6}$ F
  • $U = 100$ V
  • $W = ?$
Hints
Hint 1 / 2
Energy of a capacitor: $W = CU^2/2$.
Hint 2 / 2
Microfarads convert to farads: $1$ uF $= 10^{-6}$ F.
Solution

Energy of a charged capacitor:

$$W = \frac{CU^2}{2} = \frac{2 \cdot 10^{-6} \cdot 100^2}{2} = \frac{2 \cdot 10^{-6} \cdot 10^4}{2} = 10^{-2} = 0.01 \text{ J}$$

Answer

$W = 0.01$ J