What is the formula for calculating total capacitance in a series circuit?

The formula for calculating total capacitance in a series circuit is correctly stated as the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of each individual capacitance. In mathematical terms, this is expressed as 1/C_total = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + 1/C3.

When capacitors are connected in series, the total capacitance decreases because the effective length of the dielectric between the plates increases. This can be visualized similarly to resistors in parallel, where the total resistance decreases because multiple paths are available for the current to flow.

In this case, as the series capacitors combine, they act as a single capacitor with a smaller capacitance than any of the individual capacitors. The formula emphasizes that the total capacitance is not simply the sum of the individual capacitances, which is characteristic of capacitors in parallel configuration, but rather relies on their reciprocal values, leading to the total being less than the smallest capacitor in the series.

This relationship is crucial for understanding how capacitors behave in series and is a fundamental principle in circuit analysis.