Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Twelve identical capacitors, each and rated , are made into strings in parallel. Each string has capacitors in series. Find the capacitance of one string, the capacitance of the whole bank, the greatest safe voltage for the bank and the charge it holds at that voltage.
In parallel the voltage is shared and the capacitances add: In series the charge is shared and For two capacitors in series, . In a series chain, the capacitor that reaches its rating first sets the limit.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. One string. Four equal capacitors in series give .
Step 2. The bank. Three strings in parallel add: .
Step 3. The rating. In a string the voltage is shared equally, so each capacitor has a quarter of the string voltage. A capacitor reaches when the string has . The strings are in parallel, so the bank is limited to as well.
Step 4. The charge. .
Check. Each string holds , and .
What to learn. Strings in series raise the voltage rating. Strings in parallel raise the capacitance. It is the same idea as rows of cells.
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