Calculate the energy stored in a charged capacitor.
Energy stored in a capacitor is E = ½CV², where C is capacitance in farads and V is voltage. Since capacitance is usually specified in microfarads, this tool converts internally before applying the formula.
The relationship is quadratic in voltage — doubling voltage across the same capacitor quadruples the stored energy, not just doubles it.
This matters practically in power-supply design, camera flash circuits, and anywhere a capacitor is used to deliver a quick burst of energy rather than sustained current.
A 1,000µF capacitor charged to 12V stores 0.5 × 0.001 × 12² = 0.072 joules.
Because voltage is squared in the formula while capacitance is linear — for the same percentage increase, raising voltage has a much bigger effect on stored energy than raising capacitance.
No — this is total stored energy, not power. Power depends on how quickly that energy is released, which relates to the circuit's resistance and discharge time, not capacitance alone.
Some energy during charging is lost as heat in the circuit's resistance rather than stored — the ½CV² figure represents energy successfully stored, not total energy drawn from the source.