Answer:
Connect them in parallel
Explanation:
The energy stored by two capacitors connected to the same voltage source is given by
[tex]U=\frac{1}{2}C_T V^2[/tex]
where
[tex]C_T[/tex] is the total capacitance of the two capacitors
V is the voltage of the source
In order to maximize the energy stored U, we need to maximize [tex]C_T[/tex]. We have:
- In parallel, the total capacitance is given by the sum of the individual capacitances:
[tex]C_T(p) = C_1 + C_2[/tex]
- In series, the total capacitance is given by:
[tex]C_T(s)=\frac{1}{\frac{1}{C_1}+\frac{1}{C_2}}[/tex]
Comparing the two equations, we notice that [tex]C_T(p)>C_T(s)[/tex], so the parallel configuration is the one that maximizes the energy stored.
