I don't know what you mean by "vertical" and "horizontal."

A capacitor has two plates. No more, no less. They are parallel to each other. In the variable capacitor, one plate is fixed and the other rotates. Each of these two is divided into several parallel sections, which interleave.

If you interleave the fingers of your left and right hand, the fingers of each hand stay on the original hand. You have only two hands.

 

I don't know what you mean by "vertical" and "horizontal."

A capacitor has two plates. No more, no less. They are parallel to each other. In the variable capacitor, one plate is fixed and the other rotates. Each of these two is divided into several parallel sections, which interleave.

If you interleave the fingers of your left and right hand, the fingers of each hand stay on the original hand. You have only two hands.

I think this is what I'm searching for

http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes...ors/Combination/ExampleMulti/ExampleMulti.htm

 

Yes. This is the same thing we have been discussing. The article refers to "multi-plates," but electrically they are segments of the same plate. Here is another example: http://www3.telus.net/public/dt0116/items/varicap.jpg

 

My major was Theater Arts, but I'll answer your question anyway.

Your drawings are capacitances in series. They are solved using 1/C1 + 1/C2 + 1/C3... + 1/Cn = 1/Ct where Ct is the equivalent capacitance. Ergo, if you have eight plates instead of two, and they are all the same size and same distance apart with the same dielectric, you have 1/8 the Farads you would have with a "normal" capacitor of the same specification.

There is no reason to do this, of course. Much less costly would be to simply make a smaller capacitor.

Isnt that a way of increasing the voltage a cap can withstand?

BTW, Your explanation of multiplates with interleaved fingers, is just superb. I've been struggling to explain that!