Three capacitors of capacitances 2 pF, 3 pF and 4 pF are connected in parallel.

(a) What is the total capacitance of the combination?

(b) Determine the charge on each capacitor if the combination is connected to a 100 V supply.

Given, C₁ = 2 pF

C₂ = 3 pF

C₃ = 4 pF , V = 100 volt

(a) Total capacitance of the parallel combination is

C = C₁ + C₂ + C₃ = 2 + 3 + 4 = 9 pF

(b) Let q₁ , q₂ and q₃ be that charges on the capacitor C_{1 ,} C₂ and C₃ respectively.

In the parallel combination the potential difference across each capacitor will be equal to the supply voltage i.e., 100 V

⇒ q₁ = C₁V = 2 x 10^-12 × 100 = 2 × 10^-10 C

⇒ q₂ = C₂V = 3 x 10^-12 × 100 = 3 × 10^-10 C

⇒ q₃ = C₃V = 4 x 10^-12 × 100 = 4 × 10^-10 C