How do capacitors behave when connected in parallel?

When capacitors are connected in parallel, they share the same voltage across their terminals. The total capacitance is calculated by simply summing the capacitances of each individual capacitor in the parallel configuration. This is because each capacitor contributes directly to the overall ability of the circuit to store charge.

Capacitors connected in this manner behave as if they are additional pathways for storing electrical energy, allowing the total capacitance to increase proportionally with the value of each individual capacitor. For example, if you have two capacitors in parallel, one with a capacitance of 5 microfarads and the other with 10 microfarads, the total capacitance will be 15 microfarads. This characteristic makes parallel connections advantageous for applications requiring higher capacitance without altering the voltage.

In contrast, the other choices refer to different concepts. For instance, one mentions that the total capacitance is less than the smallest capacitor, which is not applicable to parallel configurations. Another choice describes calculating total capacitance in series, where the reciprocals of the individual capacitances are summed, resulting in a smaller total than the smallest individual capacitor. Lastly, the formula C_total = C_1 - C_2 is incorrect because it suggests improper arithmetic for combining capacitances