Series and Parallel Capacitors

The demonstration illustrates in a semi-quantitative manner the relationships involved when a number of capacitors are wired either in series or in parallel. The apparatus consists of an aluminum chassis upon which are mounted six 1000 mfd, 165 VDC capacitors. A neon lamp is mounted on the chassis to indicate in an approximate manner the total charge accumulated by a given arrangement. The neon bulb remains lit for 5 seconds to 100 seconds when discharging the series and parallel circuit respectively.