How do I determine the polarity of capacitors?

My attempt:

 

Bearing in mind this is your homework, what are your thoughts so far?

 

Not all capacitors have polarity as an intrinsic property. Certain types do have an associated polarity, namely electrolytic and tantalum capacitors. If the schematic symbol does not indicate a polarity, then you can work on the assumption that any of the given capacitors could have either a positive or negative voltage, if the sources were ac sources, which they are not. Your schematic has no DC current paths. Where did you get this problem?

 

How do I determine the polarity of capacitors?

When will you get the hint that you are expected to show YOUR best attempt to solve YOUR homework problems instead of just asking others to work them for you (or to tell you how to work them)?

Future threads that you start in which you do not show some kind of honest attempt will be locked and/or deleted.

 

sorry, edited

 

What is you reasoning for each of these? How are we to know that these aren't just random guesses?

 

I started with the left \( 8V\) battery and took the left side of C1 to be + and than the right side - and so on

 

I started with the left \( 8V\) battery and took the left side of C1 to be + and than the right side - and so on

So would you have gotten the same results if you had started on the right side?

If not, does it seem reasonable that the polarity of the capacitors (by which I am assuming you mean the polarity of the charge stored on the capacitors) depends on which end you start with?

How about analyzing the circuit and determining what the charge is on each capacitor. Won't that tell you the polarity of each?

 

No I get 2 different answers if I look first at the right voltage source or on the left voltage source

 

How do I determine the polarity of capacitors?

My attempt:

Do we assume all capacitors are the same type and value? Would it make a difference?

 

Assuming you start with discharged capacitors and then apply the voltages, the relative capacitor voltage and polarities will depend upon the relative capacitance value of each capacitor.
So you need to write node voltage equations for all the nodes that include the capacitor values as variables to solve the problem.

 

Do we assume all capacitors are the same type and value? Would it make a difference?

Not so much same type (e.g., mylar vs. ceramic), though the leakage will impact the final distribution and we can only assume negligible leakage.

The relative values will affect the polarity of the charge on a couple of them. An interesting more advanced exercise is to identity those capacitors for which the polarity is known regardless of the values of any of the capacitors.