How does adding capacitors in parallel affect total capacitance?

When capacitors are connected in parallel, the total capacitance increases because the overall ability to store charge is enhanced. Each capacitor in parallel adds its individual capacitance value to the total capacitance. This is because the electric potential across each capacitor remains the same, and they all share the same voltage. Therefore, the total capacitance is the sum of the capacitances of the individual capacitors.

The formula for calculating the total capacitance (C_{total}) in a parallel configuration is given by:

[ C_{total} = C_1 + C_2 + C_3 + ... + C_n ]

Where (C_1, C_2, C_3, \ldots, C_n) are the capacitance values of the individual capacitors. This additive nature of capacitance in parallel results in greater total capacitance, enabling the circuit to store more charge at a given voltage.