Consider two capacitors, each possessing a capacitance C and a breakdown voltage V , connected in series. The equivalent capacitance and the breakdown voltage of this combination will be

Step-by-step solution

For two capacitors connected in series, the equivalent capacitance C_ eq is given by: 1 C_ eq = 1 C₁ + 1 C₂ Since C₁ = C₂ = C , we have: 1 C_ eq = 1 C + 1 C = 2 C C_ eq = C 2 In a series combination of identical capacitors, the total applied voltage is divided equally among them. If V_ total is the voltage applied across the combination, the voltage across each capacitor is V_ total 2 . For the capacitors not to break down, the voltage across each must not exceed its individual breakdown voltage V . V_ total 2 V V_