RC Circuits

a I I a I I
R
b b R
+ +
C C
e e - -

RC 2RC
Ce1 RC 2RC
Ce
1 1

q  Cee  t / RC

 
f( x ) q
Q

0.5 f( xq) 0.5

 t / RC
q  Ce 1  e

00 0.0183156 0
0 1 t 2 3 4 0 1 t 2 3 4

x 0 x 4
 Today…

• Calculate Discharging of Capacitor

through a Resistor

• Calculate Charging of Capacitor

through a Resistor
 Review: Behavior of Capacitors
• Capacitors resist change in charge and voltage

• Charging

– Initially, the capacitor behaves like a wire.

– After a long time, the capacitor behaves like an open switch.

• Discharging

– Initially, the capacitor behaves like a battery.

– After a long time, the capacitor behaves like a wire.

Preflight 11:

The capacitor is initially

uncharged, and the two E
switches are open.

3) What is the voltage across the capacitor immediately after switch

S1 is closed?
a) Vc = 0 b) Vc = E Initially: Q = 0
VC = 0 I = E/(2R)
c) Vc = 1/2 E
4) Find the voltage across the capacitor after the switch has been
closed for a very long time.
a) Vc = 0 b) Vc = E Q=EC I=0

c) Vc = 1/2 E
 Preflight 11:

6) After being closed a long time, switch 1 is opened and switch 2 is

closed. What is the current through the right resistor immediately after
the switch 2 is closed?
a) IR= 0
Now, the battery and the
b) IR=E/(3R) resistor 2R are disconnected
from the circuit, so we have a
c) IR=E/(2R) different circuit.
Since C is fully charged, VC = E.
d) IR=E/R Initially, C acts like a battery,
and I = VC/R.
 RC Circuits
(Time-varying currents -- discharging)
• Discharge capacitor:
a I I
C initially charged with
Q = Q0 = Ce b R
+ +
Connect switch to b at t = 0. C
e - -
Calculate current and
charge as function of time.
Q
• Loop theorem  IR   0
C
• Convert to differential equation for Q:

Note: Although we know dQ  dQ Q

the current is flowing off I  R  0
the cap., we define it as dt dt C
shown so that …
 Discharging Capacitor
a I I
dQ Q
R  0 b
R
dt C + +
C
e - -
• Guess solution:
Q  Q0 et /  Ce et / RC
• Check that it is a solution:
Note that this “guess”
dQ  1 
 Ce e  t / RC   
incorporates the
dt  RC  boundary conditions:
t  0  Q  Ce
 dQ Q  
R dt    e e t / RC  e e t / RC  0
C
! t Q0
 Discharging Capacitor
• Discharge capacitor: a I I

Q  Q0 et /  Ce et / RC b
R
+ +
C
e - -
• Current is found from
differentiation:
e t / RC
I
dQ
dt
 e
R
 Conclusion:
• Capacitor discharges
exponentially with time constant
Minus sign:  = RC
Current is opposite to
original definition, • Current decays from initial max
i.e., charges flow value (= -e/R) with same time
away from capacitor. constant
 Discharging Capacitor
RC 2RC
Ce1
Charge on C 1

Q  Ce et / RC
Max = Ce Q
f( x ) 0.5

37% Max at t = RC
0.0183156 0
zero 0 1 2 t 3 4
01 0 x 4
1

Current
e I
Q

dQ f( x ) 0.5
I   e  t / RC
dt R
“Max” = -e/R
37% Max at t = RC -e /R0
0 1 2 t 3 4
x
t/RC
Preflight 11:

The two circuits shown below contain identical fully charged

capacitors at t=0. Circuit 2 has twice as much resistance as circuit 1.

8) Compare the charge on the two capacitors a short time after t = 0

Initially, the charges on the two capacitors are the same.

a) Q1 > Q2 But the two circuits have different time constants:
1 = RC and 2 = 2RC. Since 2 > 1 it takes circuit 2
b) Q1 = Q2 longer to discharge its capacitor. Therefore, at any given
time, the charge on capacitor 2 is bigger than that on
c) Q1 < Q2 capacitor 1.
 RC Circuits
(Time-varying currents, charging)
a I I
• Charge capacitor:
R
C initially uncharged; b
connect switch to a at t=0
C
e
Calculate current and
charge as function of time.

Q Would it matter where R

• Loop theorem  e  IR   0 is placed in the loop??
C
•Convert to differential equation for Q:

dQ
I  dQ Q
e R 
dt dt C
 Charging Capacitor
a I I
• Charge capacitor:
R
dQ Q b
e R 
dt C
C
e
• Guess solution:
t
Q  Ce (1  e RC
)
•Check that it is a solution:
Note that this “guess”
 t / RC  1 
dQ incorporates the
 Ce e   boundary conditions:
dt  RC 
dQ Q t t 0Q 0
 R   ee t / RC
 e (1  e RC )  e !
dt C t    Q  Ce
 Charging Capacitor
• Charge capacitor: a I I
R
Q  Ce 1  et / RC  b

C
• Current is found from e
differentiation:

dQ e t / RC  Conclusion:
I  e
dt R • Capacitor reaches its final
charge(Q=Ce ) exponentially
with time constant  = RC.
• Current decays from max
(=e /R) with same time
constant.
 Charging Capacitor
Charge on C RC 2RC
Ce 1

Q  Ce 1  et / RC 
Max = Ce

Q
Q
f( x ) 0.5

63% Max at t = RC

00
0 1 2 t 3 4
Current e 1/R1 x
t/RC
dQ e  t / RC
I  e
dt R I
Max = e /R
f( x ) 0.5

37% Max at t = RC 2
0.0183156 0
0 1 2 t 3 4
0 x 4
 Lecture 11, ACT 2
a
• At t=0 the switch is thrown from position b to I I
position a in the circuit shown: The capacitor R
b
is initially uncharged.
– At time t = t1 =, the charge Q1 on the capacitor e C
is (1-1/e) of its asymptotic charge Qf = Ce.
– What is the relation between Q1 and Q2 , the R
charge on the capacitor at time t = t2 = 2 ?

(a) Q2 < 2Q1 (b) Q2 = 2Q1 (c) Q2 > 2Q1

 Lecture 11, ACT 2
a
• At t=0 the switch is thrown from position b to I I
position a in the circuit shown: The capacitor R
b
is initially uncharged.
– At time t = t1 =, the charge Q1 on the capacitor e C
is (1-1/e) of its asymptotic charge Qf = Ce.
– What is the relation between Q1 and Q2 , the R
charge on the capacitor at time t = t2 = 2 ?

(a) Q2 < 2Q1 (b) Q2 = 2Q1 (c) Q2 > 2Q1

• The point of this ACT is to test your understanding of the exact time
dependence of the charging of the capacitor.
t
• Charge increases according to: Q  Ce (1  e 2 RC
)
• So the question is: how does this charge 2Q1
increase differ from a linear increase? 1

• From the graph at the right, it is clear that the Q2

charge increase is not as fast as linear. Q1
Q

• In fact the rate of increase is just proportional to f( x )Q

0.5

the current (dQ/dt) which decreases with time.

• Therefore, Q2 < 2Q1.
1 22
0
0 3 4
 Charging Discharging
RC 2RC RC 2RC
Ce1 Ce 1
1

Q  Ce 1  et / RC  Q  Ce et / RC
f( x ) Q
0.5 f( x ) Q
0.5

00 0.0183156 0
0 1 2 t 3 4 0 1 2 t 3 4
1e /R1
01 0 x 4
x
t/RC

dQ e t / RC dQ e t / RC
I  e I  e
dt R I
Q

I
( x ) 0.5 f( x ) 0.5 dt R

156 -e /R0
0 t 0 1 2 t 3 4
0 1 2 3 4
 A very interesting RC circuit
I1 I2
I3
e C R2

R1

First consider the short and long term behavior of this

circuit.
• Short term behavior:

Initially the capacitor acts like an ideal wire. Hence,

and

•Long term behavior: 3

Exercise for the student!!
Preflight 11:

The circuit below contains a

battery, a switch, a capacitor
and two resistors

10) Find the current through R1 after the switch has been closed
for a long time.
a) I1 = 0 b) I1 = E/R1 c) I1 = E/(R1+ R2)

After the switch is closed for a long time …..

The capacitor will be fully charged, and I3 = 0.
(The capacitor acts like an open switch).
So, I1 = I2, and we have a one-loop circuit with two resistors in series,
hence I1 = E/(R1+R2)
 Lecture 11, ACT 3
• At t = 0 the switch is closed in
I1 I2
the circuit shown. The initially I3
uncharged capacitor then e C R2
begins to charge.

R1

3A • What will be the voltage across the capacitor a long time

after the switch is closed?

(a) VC = 0 (b) VC = e R2/(R1+ R2) (c) VC = e

3B • What is the charging time constant  ?

 R1R2 
(a)   R1C (b)   ( R1  R2 )C (c)    C
 R1  R2 
 Lecture 11, ACT 3
• At t = 0 the switch is closed in
I1 I2
the circuit shown. The initially I3
uncharged capacitor then e C R2
begins to charge.

R1

3A • What will be the voltage across the capacitor a long time

after the switch is closed?

(a) VC = 0 (b) VC = e R2/(R1+ R2) (c) VC = e

After a long time the capacitor is completely charged, so no

current flows through it. The circuit is then equivalent to a
battery with two resistors in series. The voltage across the
capacitor equals the voltage across R2 (since C and R2 are in
parallel). Either from direct calculation, or remembering the
“Voltage Divider Circuit”, VC = VR2 = e R2/(R1+ R2).
 Lecture 11, ACT 3
• At t = 0 the switch is closed in the I1 I2
circuit shown. The initially uncharged I3
e C R2
capacitor then begins to charge.

– What is the charging time

3B R1
constant  ?
 RR 
(a)   R1C (b)   ( R1  R2 )C (c)    1 2  C
 R1  R2 
• An ideal voltage source contributes no resistance or capacitance
 time constant is entirely determined by C, R1, and R2.
• I personally find it easier to think about the circuit as if C was discharging
than charging; I imagine that the capacitor is charged, and that the battery is
replaced by a wire (which also has no resistance or capacitance). Since the
battery supplies a constant voltage, it doesn’t affect the time constant.
• We simply need to find the effective resistance Reff through which the
capacitor (dis)charges. Looking at the new circuit, it is clear that the
capacitor would be (dis)charging through both R1 and R2, which are in
parallel  their effective resistance is Reff = R1R2/(R1 + R2) and  = ReffC.
 Summary
• Kirchoff’s Laws apply to time dependent circuits
they give differential equations!
• Exponential solutions
– from form of differential equation
• time constant  = RC
– what R, what C?? You must analyze the problem!

• series RC charging solution Q  Q(t  ) 1  e  t / RC 
• series RC discharging solution Q  Q(t  0) et / RC

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