19.1.4—The capacitance formulas for capacitors in series and in parallel

For parallel capacitors C_total=ΣC; for series 1/C_total=Σ(1/C). Parallel capacitors share voltage, while series capacitors carry equal charge magnitude.

Draw the topology first and check limits: series C is below the smallest, parallel C above the largest.

Two equal 10 μF capacitors give 20 μF in parallel and 5 μF in series.

Capacitor combination rules differ from resistor rules because the shared/conserved quantity is different.