Published by:
CGP EDU Academic Team
Published on: September 12, 2026
The combination of capacitors with
and
is charged by connecting AB to a battery. Consider the following statements
(I) Energy stored in
= Energy stored in
+ Energy stored in 
(II) Charge on C 1 = Charge on C 2 + Charge on C 3
(III) Potential drop across C 1 = Potential drop across C 2 = Potential drop across C 3
Which of these is/are correct

Text Solution
Verified by ExpertsThe correct answer is:
A
To analyze the capacitor network, let's evaluate each statement:
Statement I: The energy stored in the capacitor C1 (E1) should equal the sum of energies stored in capacitors C2 (E2) and C3 (E3) because they are effectively in parallel after the arrangement. The formula for energy stored in a capacitor is given by E = \frac{1}{2} CV^2, where C is capacitance and V is voltage across the capacitor. This statement is correct.
Statement II: The charge on C1 (Q1) is indeed equal to the charge on C2 and C3 (Q2 + Q3) in a series combination, meaning that the charge is conserved. This statement is correct.
Statement III: The potential drop across capacitors C1, C2, and C3 is not equal. Capacitors connected in parallel have the same voltage across them, so this statement is incorrect.
Thus, statements I and II are correct, leading us to option A.
Statement I: The energy stored in the capacitor C1 (E1) should equal the sum of energies stored in capacitors C2 (E2) and C3 (E3) because they are effectively in parallel after the arrangement. The formula for energy stored in a capacitor is given by E = \frac{1}{2} CV^2, where C is capacitance and V is voltage across the capacitor. This statement is correct.
Statement II: The charge on C1 (Q1) is indeed equal to the charge on C2 and C3 (Q2 + Q3) in a series combination, meaning that the charge is conserved. This statement is correct.
Statement III: The potential drop across capacitors C1, C2, and C3 is not equal. Capacitors connected in parallel have the same voltage across them, so this statement is incorrect.
Thus, statements I and II are correct, leading us to option A.
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