🔍 Key Concepts

• How capacitors in series affect total voltage rating and total capacitance • How capacitors in parallel affect total voltage rating and total capacitance • How to combine series groups in parallel (or vice versa) to reach both a required voltage and capacitance

💭 Think About

• First, figure out how many 400 V capacitors you must place in series to safely handle 1600 V. Then, compute the resulting capacitance of that one series string. • Next, decide how many of those identical series strings you must place in parallel so that the total capacitance reaches 1.5 microfarad. • Check that your final arrangement meets both the 1600 V rating and the 1.5 microfarad requirement at the same time, not just one of them.

✅ Before You Answer

• For capacitors in series, verify the formula for equivalent capacitance and how voltage ratings add. • For capacitors in parallel, verify that the capacitance values add while voltage rating stays the same. • After calculations, confirm that the final total number of capacitors matches one of the answer choices and that both the voltage and capacitance requirements are satisfied.