Capacitors A device for storing an electrical charge is called a capacitor or electrical condenser. Capacitors in their simplest form consist of two metal plates, which are separated by a nonconducting layer called the dielectric. As one plate gets charged with a direct- current such as a positive charge, the other plate will be charged with the opposite sign such as a negative charge. The larger the capacitor, the more electrically charge it can absorb. Capacitors are limited to the amount of electrical charge, but they function well as conductors in alternating- current circuits. One example of this is called the Leyden jar,