Capacitors are rated in which two quantities?

• A. Ohms and farads
• B. Amps and coulombs
• C. Volts and microfarads
• D. Watts and henries

Answer: (C)

Capacitors are specified by two things: the voltage they can safely handle and their capacitance. The voltage rating shows the maximum voltage the dielectric and plates can withstand without breaking down, which protects against failure, overheating, and arcing. The capacitance indicates how much charge the capacitor can store per volt, shaping how it behaves in circuits (Q = C × V and, in AC, its reactance Xc = 1/(ωC)). In practice, you’ll see voltage values alongside capacitance values, often expressed in microfarads (µF) because farads are large for common capacitors. While the base unit is the farad, microfarads are the common practical unit used on many components. The other units listed (ohms, amps, coulombs, watts, henries) relate to resistance, current, charge, power, or inductance and aren’t how capacitors are rated.