I am having trouble understanding how voltage and charge work when it comes to c

Question

I am having trouble understanding how voltage and charge work when it comes to capacitors in series vs in parallel. In this example, the capacitors are in series. So, how do you determine charge and voltage on individual capacitors? I can calculate the equivalent capacitance with no problem, but then I am stuck as to how to utilize the new capacitance that I calculated. Below is the question that I cannot solve. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give detailed answers and explanations. Very detailed answer=Lifesaver rating!! :-) Three capacitors of capacitance C1=4.00 mF, C2 =5.50 mF, and C3=18.0 mF are connected to a 32.0 V battery as shown in the figure. Calculate the charge on C3 and the voltage across C1.

Explanation / Answer

For capacitors in series the charge is the same on each capacitor. For parallel capacitors the charge is shared between them. After you find the equivalent capacitance, find the charge on the capacitors using the equation Q = CV, where Q=charge, C=capacitance, and V=voltage (32 volts here) This charge is the charge on Capacitor 3 because it is in series. It is also the charge shared between C1 and C2. You can find the individual charge on C1 or C2 by multiplying the charge found above by the capacitance of either C1 or C2 respectively and then divided by C1+C2 Once you find the charge on the capacitors you can find the voltage across them using the equation V = Q/C

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