A. Tell the “story” of a discharging RC circuit. Why doesn’t it discharge “all at once”, instantaneously? Describe the interactions of the resistor and capacitor in detail.
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Give a simple physical explanation for why the charge on a capacitor in an $R C$ circuit can't be changed instantaneously.
LEARN MORE REMARKS Part (a) shows how useful information can often be obtained even when no details concerning capacitances, resistances, or voltages are known. Part (c) demonstrates that capacitors can be rapidly discharged (or conversely, charged), despite the mathematical form of the equations used, which indicate an infinite time would be required. QUESTION Suppose the initial voltage used to charge the capacitor were doubled. The time required for discharging all but the last quantum of charge would: PRACTICE IT Use the worked example above to help you solve this problem. Consider a capacitor C being discharged through a resistor R as shown in figure a. The initial potential difference across the capacitor is 24.0 V, the capacitance is 3.70 x 10^-6 F, and the resistance is 2.30 ̐. (a) How long does it take for the charge on the capacitor to drop to one-fourth of its initial value? Your response differs significantly from the correct answer. Rework your solution from the beginning and check each step carefully. (b) Compute the initial charge and time constant. (c) How long does it take to discharge all but the last quantum of charge, 1.6 x 10^-19 C? (Assume an exponential decrease during the entire discharge process.)
Madhur L.
An RC circuit contains a battery, a switch, a resistor, and a capacitor – all connected in series. Initially, the switch is open and the capacitor is uncharged. Which one of the following statements correctly describes the current in the circuit during the time the capacitor is charging? A. The current is increasing with increasing time. B. The current is constant with increasing time. C. The current is decreasing with increasing time. D. The current increases for the first half of the time until the capacitor is fully discharged, and then decreases during the second half of the time. E. The current can either increase or decrease with increasing time depending on the value of the time constant.
Mitchell M.
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