As the capacitor plates have equal amounts of charge of the opposite sign, the total charge is actually zero. However, because the charges are separated they have energy and can do work when they are brought together. One farad is a very large value of capacitance.
The charge that a capacitor can store is proportional to the voltage across its plates. When a voltage is applied across the capacitor, the current flows from the voltage source to the capacitor plates. As the capacitor charges up, the current gradually decreases until it reaches zero.
(Image source: Wikipedia) A capacitor consists of two metal plates that are separated by a dielectric material. When a voltage is applied to a capacitor, the electric charge accumulates on the plates. One plate of the capacitor collects a positive charge while the other collects a negative charge, creating an electrostatic field between them.
When a voltage is applied to a capacitor, the electric charge accumulates on the plates. One plate of the capacitor collects a positive charge while the other collects a negative charge, creating an electrostatic field between them. This electrostatic field is the medium through which the capacitor stores energy.
When voltage is first applied across an uncharged capacitor’s plates, current flows as the electric field is established and charge accumulates on the plates. As the plates reach full charge capacity, current flow decreases and eventually drops to zero while the voltage remains constant.
One plate of the capacitor collects a positive charge while the other collects a negative charge, creating an electrostatic field between them. This electrostatic field is the medium through which the capacitor stores energy. The amount of electrical charge that can be stored in the capacitor is determined by the capacitor’s capacitance.