Experiment N°7

Physics Lab II Report

SF 204 RC Charge and Discharge of a Capacitor

Professor:
Lincy Varghese

Students:
Cañete Elías (CE)
Insfran Diego (CE)
Vera Rubén (EME)
Yegros Alejandro (CE)

Career:
Civil Engineering
Electromechanical Engineering

Date: 02/10/2024
Index
7.1 Charge and Discharge of a Capacitor 3
Objective of the experiments 3
Theory 3
Materials 4
Procedure 5
Data 8
Analysis and discussion 8
Errors and Uncertainties: 9
Applications: 9
Conclusion 9

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7.1 Charge and Discharge of a Capacitor

Objective of the experiments

The objective of this experiment is to investigate the charging and discharging
behavior of a capacitor in a series RC circuit. Additionally, compare the
experimental results with theoretical predictions based on Kirchhoff ’s laws and
the capacitor’s governing equations.

Theory

Charging a Capacitor
In a simple series RC circuit with an initially uncharged capacitor, no current
flows when the switch is open. However, if the switch is closed at \( t = 0 \),
current begins to flow, causing the capacitor to charge. Charges do not physically
cross the gap between the capacitor plates during the charging process. Instead,
the electric field generated by the battery causes charge to accumulate on the
plates through the connecting wires. As the capacitor charges, the potential
difference across it increases, and this potential difference depends on the
battery's voltage. Once the capacitor is fully charged, the potential across it
equals the battery's voltage and the circuit's current drops to zero.
The loop rule gives the equation:
𝑞
ε − 𝐶
= 𝑖𝑅
Here, q/C represents the potential across the capacitor, and iRiRiR is the
potential across the resistor.
At t=0, the capacitor is uncharged, so the current is at its maximum:
ε
𝐼0 = 𝑅
As the capacitor charges, the current decreases and eventually becomes zero
when it reaches its maximum charge Qmax​=Cε.
The differential equation for charge q over time is derived from Kirchhoff's rule:
𝑑𝑞 ε 𝑞
𝑑𝑡
= 𝑅
− 𝑅𝐶
This equation is then solved by separation of variables, yielding:
𝑡
− 𝑅𝐶
𝑞(𝑡) = 𝐶ε(1 − 𝑒 ) (1)
This shows that the charge increases exponentially toward its maximum value
over time, with the time constant RC. We can find an expression for the current
in the circuit as a function of time by differentiating Equation 1 with respect to
time. Using i = dq/dt, we find that
𝑡
ε − 𝑅𝐶
𝑖(𝑡) = 𝑅
·𝑒 (2)

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Discharging a Capacitor
When the capacitor is fully charged and the switch is moved to a position that
disconnects the battery, the capacitor starts to discharge through the resistor.
The loop equation for this circuit is given by:
𝑞
− 𝑖𝑅 − 𝐶
=0
Substituting ​i = dq/dt, the equation becomes:
𝑑𝑞 𝑞
𝑑𝑡
=− 𝑅𝐶
Solving this differential equation gives the charge on the capacitor as a function
of time:
𝑡
− 𝑅𝐶
𝑞(𝑡) = 𝑄0 · 𝑒 (3)

where Q0 is the initial charge on the capacitor.

The instantaneous current during discharge is found by differentiating the

charge equation for time:

𝑡
𝑄0 − 𝑅𝐶
𝑖(𝑡) = 𝑅𝐶
·𝑒 (4)
This shows that both the charge and current decay exponentially
with time, characterized by the time constant τ=RC. The current is
negative, indicating it flows in the opposite direction during
discharge.

Materials
1. Connector straight x2
2. Connector angled x6
3. Connector T-shaped x4
4. Voltmeter connector x1

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 5. Two-way switch x1
6. AC Signal input connector x1
7. DC power supply connector x1
8. Inductive 33mHx1 - 99mHx1 x2
9. Resistor 1KΩ - 120Ω -100Ω x3
10. Capacitors 2200μF - 470πF x2
11. Capacitors 0.33μF – 0.68μF x2
12. DC Power Supply Holder x1
13. Connecting cables x2
14. Adaptor cables with RCA plug x1
15. Multimeter x1
16. Data logger x1
17. Voltage sensor x1
18. Current sensor x1

Procedure
1. Assemble the circuits as shown in the image below

2. You can use the AC signal connector as a Galvanometer connector.

3. Software Setup:
3.1. Connect the data logger to the computer and launch the Easy Sense
software.
3.2. Switch to Graph Mode and verify that the voltage and current
sensors are properly connected.
3.3. Set the recording time to 10 seconds and the sampling interval to
50 ms.
3.4. Ensure the start condition is set to "None."

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 3.5. Note: These settings are for a 470 μF capacitor. If you change the
capacitor, adjust the sampling interval accordingly.
4. Experiment Steps:
4.1. Once the circuit is assembled and the software is configured, ensure
the circuit is open (the switch should be in the lower position to
prevent current from reaching the capacitor).
4.2. Begin the measurement process, and after a few seconds, close the
circuit by moving the switch to allow current to flow to the
capacitor.
4.3. After some time, open the circuit again and let the measurement
finish.
4.4. Observe the maximum voltage after closing the circuit and allowing
the voltage to reach its peak. The voltage, current, and time data
will be displayed in the table on the left side of the graph area.
5. Analysis:
5.1. When t = τ, the voltage will be 63% of its maximum value. Calculate
the theoretical value of τ and compare it to the experimental value
shown by the software.
5.2. Plot the Voltage vs. Current graph.
5.3. Repeat the previous steps but focus on analyzing the capacitor's
discharge. Instead of plotting voltage, plot the current.
5.4. When t = τ, the current will be 36.8% of its maximum value (i.e., i
= 0.368 I_max).

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Data

Graph 7.1.1 Plot of a 2200μF capacitor current and voltage versus time

Graph 7.1.2 Plot of a 470μF capacitor current and voltage versus time

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 Experimental Results
Input Capacitor Resistor Theoretical Exp. Voltage t1 (s) t2 (s) Experimental τ Error
Voltage (μF) (Ω) τ (s) at t=τ (V) (s) (%)
(V)

2.92 470 1000 0.470 1.85 3.1 3.5 0.400 14.9

2.92 470 1000 0.470 1.85 2.2 2.7 0.400 14.9

2.92 2200 1000 2.200 1.85 2.4 4.7 2.300 4.5

2.92 2200 1000 2.200 1.85 2.7 5.05 2.350 6.8

Analysis and discussion

The experiment focused on examining the behavior of capacitors within an RC
circuit. The primary objective was to observe the charging and discharging
processes and to compare the theoretical and experimental time constants τ for
different configurations.

For the 470μF Capacitor: The theoretical time constant τ for the 470μF
capacitor is 0.470 seconds. The experimental value recorded from the discharge
process was consistently 0.400 seconds, leading to a percentage error of about
14.9%. The voltage and current curves (Graph 7.1.1) for the 470μF capacitor
display faster charging and discharging as expected for a smaller capacitance,
evidenced by sharper declines in the current and voltage.

For the 2200μF Capacitor: The theoretical time constant for the 2200μF
capacitor is 2.200 seconds. The experimental values for the two trials were 2.300
and 2.350 seconds, yielding much lower percentage errors (4.5% and 6.8%,
respectively). The graph 7.1.2 show a slower response in the current and voltage
decay for the 2200μF capacitor, which aligns with the larger capacitance leading
to a longer charging and discharging time.

The time constant τ=RC determines the rate at which a capacitor charges or
discharges in an RC circuit. The theoretical time constant is calculated by
multiplying the resistance (1000Ω) by the capacitance in farads. In this
experiment:

● For the 470μF capacitor, τ𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙= 0.470 s

● For the 2200μF capacitor, τ𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙= 0.470 s

The experimental time constants were found by observing when the voltage or
current dropped to approximately 37% of their initial values during the
discharge phase.

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The smaller capacitor (470μF) discharges more quickly compared to the larger
capacitor (2200μF), which retains charge longer due to its higher capacitance,
leading to a higher τ\tauτ.

Errors and Uncertainties:

1. Measurement Errors:
○ The experimental time constant for the 470μF capacitor shows a
significant error (~14.9%). This could be due to inaccuracies in
measuring the precise point when the current or voltage drops to
37% of its initial value.
2. Instrumental Uncertainty:
○ Errors may also arise from the precision of the voltage and current
sensors, as well as the sampling rate (50ms interval).

Applications:

● Electronics: The charging and discharging behavior of capacitors is

crucial in timing circuits, filters, and power supply smoothing circuits.
Knowing the time constant helps in designing circuits that require specific
timing or signal filtering behavior.
● Energy Storage: Capacitors are widely used in energy storage systems
where a fast or slow discharge rate is required. For instance, large
capacitors like the 2200μF capacitor might be used in applications where a
slower release of stored energy is needed, while smaller capacitors are
used in high-speed switching circuits.
● Sensors and Measurement Devices: The principles from this
experiment apply to the design of sensors, where capacitive elements can
be used to measure changes in environmental conditions like humidity or
pressure, which alter the time constant of an RC circuit.

Conclusion
This experiment demonstrated the charging and discharging characteristics of
two capacitors with different capacitances (470μF and 2200μF) in an RC circuit.
As expected, the larger capacitance resulted in a longer time constant, with
slower charging and discharging. The experimental time constants were close to
the theoretical values, especially for the 2200μF capacitor, while the 470μF
capacitor showed a larger error due to the rapid changes in voltage and current.
The results illustrate the important role of capacitance in determining circuit
behavior .