How does a capacitor store electricity?

A capacitor stores electricity in the form of an electrostatic charge. This process occurs when voltage is applied across the plates of the capacitor, which are separated by an insulating material known as a dielectric. The application of voltage causes positive charge to accumulate on one plate and negative charge to accumulate on the opposite plate. This separation of charges creates an electric field between the plates, enabling the capacitor to store electrical potential energy. The amount of charge a capacitor can store is directly related to its capacitance, which is influenced by the surface area of the plates, the distance between them, and the properties of the dielectric material.

In contrast, building a magnetic field is characteristic of inductors, which operate on principles of electromagnetic induction rather than electrostatic charge storage. An electrochemical reaction pertains to how batteries store energy, as they rely on chemical changes to release electrical energy. Lastly, while current flow can be affected by the presence of a capacitor in a circuit, simply increasing current flow does not describe how a capacitor stores energy, as its primary function is related to charge separation rather than maintaining current.