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PostLab ECE2120 Experiment4

The document details an experiment conducted in an Electrical Engineering lab at Clemson University, focusing on the behavior of an RC series circuit as frequency varies. It explains that as frequency increases, the current in the circuit also increases due to the inverse relationship between capacitive reactance and frequency. The findings highlight practical applications in AC circuits, such as power supply smoothing and signal filtering.

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5 views5 pages

PostLab ECE2120 Experiment4

The document details an experiment conducted in an Electrical Engineering lab at Clemson University, focusing on the behavior of an RC series circuit as frequency varies. It explains that as frequency increases, the current in the circuit also increases due to the inverse relationship between capacitive reactance and frequency. The findings highlight practical applications in AC circuits, such as power supply smoothing and signal filtering.

Uploaded by

ldcunni
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Clemson University

Post-Lab
Experiment 4: Capacitor and Resistor Series RC
Circuit

ECE 2120
Electrical Engineering Lab II
Spring 2025

submitted by: Levi Cunningham


GTA: Mr. Chris Weller
Instructor: Dr. Tehseen Zara Raza
1) Questions
Q1. Describe what happens to the current in this RC series circuit as the frequency
increases. Explain in general terms why the observed change should occur.
As the frequency of the wave generator increases, we observe that the current through the loop
increases. This is because the reactance of a capacitor is inversely proportional to the frequency
(XC = 1/(2πfC) and I = V/ XC). Increases in frequency reduce capacitive reactance.

2) Discussion of Results
Table 1

Above are calculated values from our simulated circuit at 3 frequencies.

Table 2

Above is the calculated theoretical reactance of our capacitor at a frequency of 1000 Hz

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Table 3

Above are calculated and measured values using the physical circuit setup, as well as variable
sine wave frequencies from our wave generator.

Equations used for Calculation:

Discussion:
In this lab, we assembled a single-loop circuit which consisted of a Sine wave generated
via function generator, resistor (10kΩ), and capacitor (0.01µF) in series. Using three different
frequencies from the function generator (1kHz, 5kHz, and 10kHz), we measured and calculated
the values of our total impedance, loop current, and voltage drop over both the resistor and
capacitor. We first measured the actual impedance of the resistor and capacitor, which were
slightly deviated from ideal values, as every circuit component has some range of tolerance for
accuracy. Using these values, as well as the source voltage, we were able to calculate the current
flowing through the loop for each frequency the function generator was set to, observing an
increase in current as we increased frequency. The phase of the current decreased as frequency
increased. Once loop current was found for each frequency, we were able to multiply each
component’s impedance with IL to obtain the voltage drop across it. This makes sense because

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the capacitors’ ability to resist the flow of current decreases as frequency increases, shown by the
inverse relationship within our formulas for XC and I.

Figure 1 – Oscilloscope readings for a generator frequency of 1kHz, reading Vs (yellow) and
VC (blue)

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Figure 2 – Oscilloscope readings for a generator frequency of 10kHz, reading VS (yellow) and
VR (blue)

Figure 3 – Phasor Diagrams for both Voltage (left) and current (right)

3) Practical Applications
In this lab experiment, we observed that frequency and capacitive resistance have an
inverse relationship. Because we know that as our frequency increased from 1kHz to 10kHz, the
amplitude of our current nearly doubled, we can assume that we can manipulate the flow of
current within an RC circuit by adjusting the frequency of the Sine wave which provides power.

This observation can be proven using the equations and , as any increase
in frequency, with a constant voltage, must also mean a higher current flow. There are a few
ways that we can benefit in real applications from this configuration of capacitors and resistors.
In AC circuits, we can utilize capacitors to smooth power supplies, storing and releasing energy
to increase efficiency, as well as signal filtering to allow or block certain frequencies (known as
high-pass or low-pass filtering).

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