1. Concept: The mathematical method for summing capacitors in series relies on adding their reciprocals, which guarantees a final value strictly smaller than the smallest individual component.
2. Formula: $$ \frac{1}{C_{eq}} = \frac{1}{C_1} + \frac{1}{C_2} + \dots $$
3. Solution: - Because you are adding fractions to form a larger denominator value, inverting that final sum forces the equivalent capacitance (\( C_{eq} \)) to shrink below any of the starting values. This effectively widens the total plate separation.
4. Why other options are incorrect: In Parallel combinations (Option B), the capacitances are directly added (\( C_{eq} = C_1 + C_2 \)), so the equivalent value is always much larger than the largest individual capacitor.
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