Difference between resistor and capacitor

Resistor and capacitor are two of the most fundamental concept in electronics. These two ideas play a vital role in almost every electronic device we use today. We all know that resistor is the ability to resist the flow of electric current through it while the capacitor is the ability to oppose the change of voltage across it. Let us have a deep insight into the comparison between resistor and capacitor. 

The main key difference between the resistor and the capacitor are given below.

• The resistor is a represents the amount of resistance in an electrical circuit while the capacitor is a represents the amount in an electrical circuit.
• Resistor dissipates energy in the form of heat, whereas capacitors store energy in an electric field.
• Resistance is a value of the material itself, capacitance is a value of the combination of objects.
• The resistor is an electronic component that limits or regulates the flow of current in a circuit while the capacitor is an electronic component that stores an electric charge in the form of an electrostatic field.
• Resistance depends on the temperature while capacitance does not.
• The function of the resistor is to control the flow of current to other components of a circuit whereas a capacitor is a function of to keep positive and negative charges separated from each other.
• The resistor is measured in ohms while the capacitor is measured in farads.
• Resistor behaves similarity to both AC and DC but capacitors act in two different manners.
• Resistor=Volt/Current while Capacitor=Charge/Voltage.
• In resistor hooked into a circuit to have the currents and voltages that you want precisely in your circuit while the capacitor is a charge and discharges the electric charge stored in the circuit.
• Resister used in precision circuits, logic circuits, RF circuits and capacitor used in waveform generation, filtering, blocking and bypass applications. 
• The resistor can not improve power factor whereas the capacitor used to improve power factor for inductive load. 
• The resistor can not create a phase difference between current and voltage while the capacitor creates it.  
• The resistor creates a unity power factor whereas the capacitor creates a leading power factor. 

Explore more information:

1. Difference between inductor and capacitor
2. Difference between active and passive component 
3. Difference Between Resistance and Reactance