How is energy stored within a charged capacitor?

Energy is stored within a charged capacitor in the form of electrostatic potential energy.

When a capacitor is charged, work is done by an external force (usually a battery or power supply) to move charges from one plate to the other. This process creates an electric field between the two plates of the capacitor. The energy used to move these charges against the electric field is stored as electrostatic potential energy within the capacitor.

The amount of energy stored in a capacitor can be calculated using the formula E = 1/2 CV², where E is the energy in joules, C is the capacitance in farads, and V is the voltage across the capacitor in volts. The capacitance of a capacitor is a measure of how much charge it can store per unit voltage. The higher the capacitance and the higher the voltage, the more energy the capacitor can store.

The energy stored in a capacitor is not lost when the power supply is disconnected. Instead, it can be released by discharging the capacitor, allowing the charges to move back across the plates under the influence of the electric field. This can be used to power a circuit, for example in a camera flash or to smooth out the power supply in a computer.

In summary, a charged capacitor stores energy in the form of electrostatic potential energy. This energy is stored in the electric field between the plates of the capacitor, and can be released to do work in a circuit. The amount of energy stored is proportional to the square of the voltage across the capacitor and the capacitance of the capacitor.