Each capacitor carries a charge of 1/3q as they are identical.
- These capacitors are identical and the combination is connected in parallel to each other.
- So each should receive an equal portion of the total charge when received from the power source.
- If the combination is connected in series to each other, then each one would receive the same amount of charge, not a portion of the total charge (in such a case the total charge would be 3q).
- To know this more precisely, consider the simple formula used for a capacitor: [tex]Q = CV[/tex].
- In a parallel arrangement, the potential is the same for each one and since the capacitance is equal, the charge one would carry is the same as well.
- Then the total charge [tex]q[/tex] is the sum of each capacitor's charge which yields [tex]q = 3Q\,\,\to\,\,Q = \frac{q}{3}[/tex] .
#SPJ4