The capacitor and inductor are electrical and electronic components. The technology in these components is advancing day by day. In an electric circuit, two types of elements are there i.e. Active Elements and Passive Elements. Active elements are those that possess the energy from their own and deliver it to the other elements. On the other hand, Passive elements are those that receive energy from the sources.
The Resistor, Capacitor, and Inductor are Passive components. Capacitor and inductor oppose sudden changes in voltage and current, respectively. The capacitor and inductor are mainly different in energy storage. In Inductor, energy is stored in the form of magnetic field, whereas in the capacitor, energy is stored in the form of electric field.
Difference between the Capacitor and Inductor in tabular form
The differences between the capacitor and inductor are shown in the table below.
| Capacitor | Inductor |
| It stores the energy in the form of electric field. | It stores the energy in the form of magnetic field. |
| Energy is given by, $E=\frac{1}{2}CV^2$ | Energy is given by, $E=\frac{1}{2}LI^2$ |
| A capacitor cannot conduct current through it due to the presence of an insulating layer. | An inductor conducts a current through it. |
| For the DC circuit, the capacitor behaves as an insulator. | For the DC circuit, the inductor behaves as a conductor. |
| In an AC circuit, the leading power factor is there with respect to current and voltage. | In an AC circuit, the lagging power factor is there with respect to current and voltage. |
| For DC circuit under steady-state condition, it acts as an open circuit. | For DC circuit under steady-state condition, it acts as a short circuit. |
| The measuring unit of capacitance is Farad (F). | The measuring unit of inductance is Henry (H). |
| It resists sudden changes in voltage. | It resists sudden changes in current. |
What is a capacitor?
A Capacitor is made up of two or more plates that are placed in parallel. These plates are separated by insulating medium nothing but dielectric medium. When plates are connected to the voltage source, the plates get charged. The plate connected to the positive terminal is positively charged and the plate connected to the negative terminal is negatively charged. Capacitance is the effect of a capacitor.
What is an Inductor?
An Inductor is an inductive coil, which resists any change in a current and stores the energy in the form of magnetic field. The inductor is made up of a coil that is wounded around the core. Whenever there is a current-carrying conductor is placed in magnetic field it induces an emf due to there is a change in magnetic flux. Inductance is the effect of an inductor.
