The capacitor is an electronic device that stores electricity by means of conducting plates in them. They have the ability to permit an AC current to flow through it, but not allow electric currents that aren’t AC current flowing through it- this is because there is a dielectric material separating the conductors from each other. The structure comes with at least 2 plates for conducting with a dielectric material layer.
Capacitor Vs. Condenser
In comparison to the term condenser, the capacitor term is a newer term. There is no contrast in the working mechanism or structure of the capacitor and condenser. It just so happens that the term condenser is much older, used for this electrical device before it became more widely known as a “capacitor”.
Voltage is given across the ends of a capacitor which creates an electric field. The charges separated by a dielectric are forced together and become concentrated on the opposite plates of the capacitor. The amount of charge on each plate is held constant by the electric field and cannot change.
1926 was a landmark year, as it marked the beginning of the capacitor’s introduction into use. The definition of a capacitor is something that stores an electric charge and can be charged or discharged in less than 1 second.
Comparison Table Between Capacitor and Condenser
| Parameter of Comparison | The Capacitor | The Condenser |
| Term | The term capacitor is a much newer word used to mean condenser. | The condenser is the former word used to mean capacitor. |
| Year | It replaced the word condenser in 1926. | The word condenser was no longer in use from 1926. |
| The Definition in other fields of study | When discussing the capacitor’s definition, structure, working, and function in all fields of study, it follows that these remain unchanged. | A condenser is a device or concept that varies in its field of study and/or application. It can be both one, sometimes the other even though it has different structures. |
| Energy conversion | An electric field is energy stored in an electric field. The more energy that is stored in the field, the higher the voltage. In this case, the capacitor had a lot of energy because it was holding a lot of charges. | A condenser stores the energy that it gets from an electrostatic field. When you’ve finished using the condenser, you’ll see that it has stored energy. |
| Uses | Motor starting, signal coupling, decoupling, filtering, etc. | Condensers, like all optical instruments, are used to focus light and energy. They remove the present heat in a gas or liquid system in order to create fluid by condensing the gases or liquids into a lower-temperature state. |
What is a Capacitor?
An electrical capacitor is a device consisting of two conducting bodies separated by a dielectric material. The amount of charge (electrical capacitance) stored on the capacitor will depend on the material used to construct it, which varies according to the type of capacitor.
You can increase the capacitance of a capacitor by increasing its surface area. You can decrease the distance between two plates to reduce that and therefore make it harder for current to pass, in order to create an increased voltage potential difference. Increased voltage potential difference will also cause more charge stored on each plate, and thereby creating greater capacitance.
The capacitance of a group of parallel-connected or series-connected components is increased when the number of items in that group increases. However, the capacitance decreases in an electrochemical capacitor if too many are connected to it. “Electrolytic” and “electrostatic” refer to how these types of condensers were manufactured, while “electrochemical” means they were made from chemicals rather than electricity like other kinds.
What is a Condenser?
For accuracy, the capacitor was stopped from being used in 1926 – they are both devices that store energy. There isn’t any difference between them when it comes to their definition or how they work, but there is one notable difference between a condenser and a capacitor: condensers use glass plates as an insulator while capacitors rely on electrical conductors for insulation.
However, in other areas of study, the word “condenser” may describe other devices. A condenser is a device that helps to focus on specific light rays from a source. It also produces less light than the original beam, making it suitable for certain cases when you want to avoid blinding people with too much-concentrated energy. This term is used interchangeably across different fields and devices, but typically has reference to the focuser seen used in photography.
Difference Between Capacitor and Condenser
The capacitor is an older word, but it has now been replaced by the word “condenser” because of its new meaning. The condenser was formerly used to mean a capacitor, which is no longer in use.
In 1926, the word condenser was replaced with the term capacitor. In 1926, there was no more use of the term “condenser”.
In all fields of study, the capacitor’s definition, structure, working, and function remain unchanged. A condenser is a device or concept that varies in its field of study and/or application. Sometimes it can be both one, sometimes the other even though they have different structures.
A capacitor is a device that stores energy. When the voltage of a capacitor increases, it starts to store more and more energy. Similarly, when you have finished using it, you can see the condenser has stored some amount of power.
Capacitors are used in some ways, like electrical signal coupling and decoupling. Condensers may be used as an optical instrument or a device that converts gas from the fluid by removing its heat.
Conclusion
The term capacitor is used to describe an electrical device that stores and releases electric energy. This newer term replaced the older one of condensers in 1926, but this was rarely used after that year. Capacitors are not just for handling AC currents; they can also be useful for controlling a current flow by limiting it or blocking it entirely depending on their design, which varies from type to type.
Capacitors can be found in a variety of sizes and shapes. One difference is that capacitors have an applied voltage while condensers do not. A condenser transforms the energy it stores between its poles into a static electric field, whereas a capacitor does not.
A conductor means a device that transfers the energy stored by it from conducting plates to a secondary circuit, usually a load, a motor, or a switch. A condenser in optics refers to the device that allows us to focus the beam of light more accurately on a target point. It’s similar to the definition of the capacitor, but the only difference is the nature of the medium, which is a dielectric, as opposed to a conductor.