Shown in this series of slides are the four main applications for capacitors. Decoupling is the first, and the most common capacitor application. A decoupling capacitor will provide the quick burst of energy needed for electronic circuits. Most of the capacitors used in decoupling located are next to devices that change from on to off or vice versa. During this transition, these devices require some instantaneous energy which the decoupling caps provide and act as a short term “bucket” of energy. Decoupling capacitors are usually found next to a semiconductor chip on a circuit card, as shown in the diagram on this slide in the upper right position.