Capacitors store electrical energy and release it all at once, similar to a camera flash. They're often used to boost power briefly to start a motor, filter electric current for a clear signal, or smooth out current spikes.

Through-hole capacitors have parallel wire leads, also known as radial leads. Push the wire leads through holes in a circuit board, then solder them in place and clip off the excess wire.

Surface-mount capacitors are often installed with automated equipment. Solder them directly to your circuit board.

Ceramic capacitors withstand a wide range of temperatures, but they typically don’t store as much charge as aluminum electrolytic capacitors. They work well at high frequencies.

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors tend to store more charge than ceramic capacitors, but they don’t work as well at high frequencies. They’re often used in power supplies.

Capacitance is how much charge a capacitor stores, measured in farads. One microfarad (µF) is equal to 1,000 nanofarads (nF), and 1 nanofarad is equal to 1,000 picofarads (pF).