Farad (F)
The farad explained, why it is such an enormous unit that real parts are measured in microfarads, and the full capacitance scale with typical uses.
Questions people ask
Why is 0.1 µF also written as 100 nF?
They are the same value. American schematics tend to favour microfarads, European ones nanofarads. The printed code 104 means both.
Do capacitors store energy like a battery?
They store it in an electric field rather than chemically, so they charge and discharge far faster but hold vastly less energy for their size.
Does this page work offline?
Yes, after the first visit. The service worker caches it, so the reference stays available with no connection.
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Last updated 22 August 2026