Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): When a capacitor C₁ is connected in parallel with a series combination of two identical capacitors ( C₂ and C₃ , where C₁ = C₂ = C₃ ), the charge stored in C₁ is half the charge stored in C₂ . Reason (R): In a parallel circuit, the branch with the lower equivalent capacitance draws proportionally l

Step-by-step solution

Let the capacitance of each capacitor be C . The equivalent capacitance of the series branch containing C₂ and C₃ is C 2 . Since C₁ is in parallel with this series branch, the potential difference V across both branches is the same. The charge stored in C₁ is Q₁ = C₁ V = CV . The charge drawn by the series branch is Q_s = C_s V = ( C 2 )V . In a series combination, the charge on each capacitor is equal to the total charge of that branch. Therefore, the charge on C₂ is Q₂ = ( C 2 )V . Comparing the charges, Q₁ = 2Q₂