Combination of Capacitors: Practice Problem & Solution

Short Solution (Best for NEET):

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Combination of Capacitors. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

Reason for the Short Circuit:

The middle capacitor is bypassed by a conducting wire (short circuit). Hence, no voltage difference exists across the middle capacitor, and it can be ignored in the calculation.

Simplified Circuit:

1. The circuit reduces to two capacitors
   $C$ 

   at the top and bottom in parallel.

2. For capacitors in parallel, the equivalent capacitance is simply the sum of their capacitances:
   $$C_{\text{eq}} = C + C = 2C$$ 

Final Answer:

The equivalent capacitance of the given combination is 2C.