RC Circuit and Time Constant Lab

Jordan Wright

03/21/11

Abstract

In this lab, one analyzes a simple circuit composed of a resistor, a capacitor, and a

source of direct current. The current supplied is turned on and off at regular intervals to

produce a square wave; the voltages across the resistor and the capacitor are measured at

small, regularly-spaced instants of time within the intervals, whereof plots are then

produced and compared to the theoretical values that Ohm's and Kirchoff's laws predict.

Introduction

In order to complete this assignment, it is expedient to assume that the voltage of

the electricity supplied by the computer is constant over the open intervals whereon it is

predicted to be, that the resistor is Ohmic (so that Ohm's Law can be employed to predict

the voltage change across it), that the wires and printed circuits between circuit elements

offer no appreciable resistance to current (lest additional calculations concerning that

small amount of resistance they afford be required), and that the capacitor is a perfect one

(with constant maximum capacitance). In addition, Kirchoff's loop law allows one to

relate the voltage change effected by the resistor and capacitor to that experienced by the

DC power supply.

The virtual switch (which causes the power supply to alternate between producing

a potential difference of 0V and 4V) is the key to the experiment; when the power supply

produces a 4V difference, the potential difference across the capacitor increases

exponentially from 0V, approaching a horizontal asymptote at 4V. When the power

supply is turned off, the potential difference across the capacitor decreases exponentially
from nearly 4V to approach another horizontal asymptote at 0V. In contrast, when the

power supply is first turned on, the potential difference across the resistor jumps to ~3.1V

and from there decreases according to a concave-up exponential function to approach an

asymptote at 0V. When the current is turned off, the voltage across the resistor jumps

from approximately 0V to around -3V and increases according to a concave-down

exponential function that has an asymptote at 0V.

Diagram

See attached documents.

Data

Time Supplied Voltage (V) Voltage across Capacitor Voltage across Resistor

(V) (V)

t1 4.005 1.900 -1.900

t2 4.005 0.044 0.013

t3 0.046 0.029 0.038

Plots (graphs)

DATA AND CALCULATION SUMMARY

Charging Capacitor
Tstart = 2.375 s Time when the voltage across the charging capacitor starts to increase.
Thalf max = 2.4093s Time when the voltage across the charging capacitor reaches the
value
T1/2 =.0343s Time for the voltage across the charging capacitor to rise to half its
maximum value. (T1/2 = Thalf max – Tstart)

τ =0.049484 s Time constant for the RC circuit. (τ = T1/ 2 / In 2)

R =100 Ω Resistance of the resistor.

C = 3.30 10^-6 F Capacitance of the capacitor.

τ =.033 s Time constant for the RC circuit. (τ = RC)

Discharging Capacitor
Tstart = 1.125 s Time when the voltage across the discharging capacity starts to
decrease.

Thalf max = .1559 s Time when the voltage across the discharging capacitor reaches the
value VC = E / 2.

TI/2 = .0309 s Time for the voltage across the discharging capacitor to fall to half its
maximum value. (T1/2 = Thalf max – Tstart)

T1/2 = Thalf max – Tstart)

τ = 0.044579 s Time constant for the RC circuit. (τ = T1/ 2 / In 2)

Voltages and comments for a time when the voltage across the capacitor is
increasing:
E =_____4.0005______ volts VR____2.151_______ volts VC
=____2.155_______ volts
time = 2.4093 s

Voltages and comments for a time when the voltage across the capacitor is
stable:
E =0.0030 volts VR=.013 volts VC =.044 volts
time = 1.8197 s

Voltages and comments for a time when the voltage across the capacitor is
decreasing:
E =0.030 volts; VR=-1.9000 volts; VC =1.9000 volts
time = 1.1559 s

Questions
1. The time to half-maximum voltage is how long it takes the capacitor to charge
half-way. Based on your experimental results, how long does it take for the
capacitor to charge to 75% of its maximum?

2. After four "half-lives", to what percentage of the maximum charge is the

capacitor charged?

3. What is the maximum charge for the capacitor in this experiment?

4. What is the maximum current flowing through the resistor in this experiment?

Analysis

I. Capacitor Charging (Current Supplied by Power Supply): 2.3875s < t < 2.65s (for

example).

VCapacitor(t) =

VResistor(t) =VPower Supply(t) -

VPower Supply(t)

II. Capacitor Nearly Completely Charged.

VCapacitor(t) VPower Supply(t) 4.005V

VResistor(t) 0V

VPower Supply(t)

III. Capacitor Discharging.

VCapacitor(t) =

VResistor(t) = VPower Supply(t) - VCapacitor(t) .046V - 4.005V )

VPower Supply(t) (Should have been 0V throughout the interval.)

Summary

Upon performing this experiment, one possesses empirical proof of the veracity of

Kirchoff’s current-of-a-loop law, Ohm’s law for quasi-Ohmic resistors, and the general

equation for ideal capacitors. As the total change in potential differences for the circuit

was always found experimentally to be virtually 0V as Kirchoff’s loop law stipulates,