Fletcher said:My physics textbook kinda offhandly says capacitors can be charged to higher potential differences than the battery used to charge them and uses a camera flash as an example, however it doesn't say how this is done. What it does say is attaching a capacitor to a batter in a simple circuit will charge the capacitor to the same potential as the battery.
A capacitor is an electronic component that is used to store energy in an electric field. It consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material, known as a dielectric.
A capacitor works by storing electric charge on its plates. When a voltage is applied across the plates, one plate becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged, creating an electric field between them. This allows the capacitor to store electrical energy, which can then be released when needed.
The unit of measurement for capacitance is the farad (F), named after the physicist Michael Faraday. However, capacitors commonly have values in microfarads (μF) or picofarads (pF).
Potential difference, also known as voltage, is the difference in electric potential energy between two points in an electric circuit. It is measured in volts (V) and is represented by the symbol "V".
Potential difference is directly proportional to the charge stored in a capacitor. This means that a higher potential difference will result in a greater charge being stored in the capacitor. Additionally, potential difference also affects the capacitance of a capacitor, with a higher voltage resulting in a higher capacitance.