Capacitor

Two conductors in close proximity to each other with a layer of non-conductive insulating medium between them form a capacitor. When a voltage is applied between the two plates of a capacitor, the capacitor stores an electric charge. The capacitance of a capacitor is numerically equal to the ratio of the charge on a conducting plate to the voltage between the two plates. The basic unit of capacitance of a capacitor is the farad (F). The letter C is usually used in circuit diagrams to denote a capacitive element.