Physics 102: Lecture 7

RC Circuits

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 1

 Recall ….
• First we covered circuits with batteries and
capacitors
– series, parallel
• Then we covered circuits with batteries and
resistors
– series, parallel
– Kirchhoff’s Loop and Junction Relations
• Today: circuits with batteries, resistors, and
capacitors

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 2

 RC Circuits
 RC Circuits

 Charging Capacitors

 Discharging Capacitors

 Intermediate Behavior

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 3

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 4
 RC Circuits
 Circuits that have both resistors and capacitors:

R1
C
R2

S S V

 With resistance in the circuits, capacitors do not

charge and discharge instantaneously – it takes time
(even if only fractions of a second).

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 5

 Capacitors
 Charge (and therefore voltage) on Capacitors cannot change
instantly: remember VC = Q/C

 Short term behavior of Capacitor:

 If the capacitor starts with no charge, it has no potential difference
across it and acts as a wire
 If the capacitor starts with charge, it has a potential difference across it
and acts as a battery.

 Long term behavior of Capacitor: Current through a Capacitor

eventually goes to zero.
 If the capacitor is charging, when fully charged no current flows and
capacitor acts as an open circuit.
 If capacitor is discharging, potential difference goes to zero and no
current flows.

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 6

 Charging Capacitors

 Capacitor is initially uncharged and C

switch is open. Switch is then closed. R

What is current I0 in circuit immediately

S
thereafter? 
 What is current I in circuit a long time
later?

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 7

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 8
 Charging Capacitors: t=0
 Capacitor is initially uncharged and switch
C
is open. Switch is then closed. What is R
current I0 in circuit immediately thereafter?
 Capacitor initially uncharged S
 Therefore VC is initially 0

 Therefore C behaves as a wire (short circuit)
 - + I0 R = 0 R
» I0 = /R

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 9

 Charging Capacitors: t>0
 I0 = /R
 Positive charge flows
» Onto bottom plate (+Q) - C
» Away from top plate (-Q) R
» As charge builds up, VC rises (VC=Q/C)
+
» Loop: - + VC + I R = 0
 I = (-VC)/R 
 Therefore I falls as Q rises

 When t is very large ()

» I = 0: no current flow into/out of capacitor for t large
R
» VC = 

Demo
Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 10
 ACT/Preflight 7.1
Both switches are initially open, and the capacitor is uncharged. What is the
current through the battery just after switch S1 is closed?

+ 2R -
1) Ib = 0 Ib = E /(3R)
2) 6%
Ib
3) Ib = E /(2R) 17% 4) Ib = E /R + C
+
 - R
-

S2

S1

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 11

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 12
 ACT/Preflight 7.3
Both switches are initially open, and the capacitor is uncharged. What is the
current through the battery after switch 1 has been closed a long time?

+ 2R -

1) Ib = 0 5% 2) I = E/(3R) Ib
b
+ +
3) Ib = E/(2R) 11% 4) I = E/R  C
- R
b -

S2

S1

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 13

 Discharging Capacitors
 Capacitor is initially charged (Q) and
switch is open. Switch is then closed.
What is current I0 in circuit immediately
thereafter?
 What is current I in circuit a long time
later? C
R

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 14

 Discharging Capacitors
 Capacitor is initially charged (Q) and switch +
C -
is open. Switch is then closed. What is R
current I0 in circuit immediately thereafter?
 -Q/C + I0R = 0
 I0 = Q/RC
 What is current I in circuit a long time
later?
 I = 0

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 15

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 16
 ACT/Preflight 7.5
After switch 1 has been closed for a long time, it is opened and switch 2 is closed.
What is the current through the right resistor just after switch 2 is closed?

+ 2R -
IR
1) IR = 0 2) IR =  /(3R)
+ +

3) IR =  /(2R) 4) IR =  /R + C
- R
- -

S1 S2

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 17

 ACT: RC Circuits
Both switches are closed. What is the final charge on the capacitor
after the switches have been closed a long time?
+ 2R -
1) Q = 0 2) Q = C E /3 IR

+ +
3) Q = C E /2 4) Q = C E 
+ C
-
- R
-

S1 S2

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 18

 RC Circuits: Charging
The switches are originally open and the capacitor is uncharged. Then
switch S1 is closed.

• Loop: -  + I(t)R + q(t) / C = 0 +

R
• Just after…: q =q0 
+ - I
– Capacitor is uncharged -
C
– -  + I0R = 0  I0 =  / R +
- S2
• Long time after: Ic= 0 S1
– Capacitor is fully charged
– -  + q/C =0  q =  C RC 2RC
q
• Intermediate (more complex)
q(t) = q(1-e-t/RC)
q
I(t) = I0e-t/RC

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 19 0 t

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 20
 RC Circuits: Discharging
• Loop: - q(t) / C - I(t) R = 0

• Just after…: q=q0 +

R
– Capacitor is still fully charged
+
– -q0 / C - I0 R = 0  I0 = -q0 / (RC)
 -
I
-
C
+
• Long time after: Ic=0 -
– Capacitor is discharged (like a wire) S1 S2
– -q / C = 0  q = 0
RC 2RC
• Intermediate (more complex)
q(t) = q0 e-t/RC q
Ic(t) = I0 e-t/RC

t
Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 21
 What is the time constant?

 The time constant  = RC.

 Given a capacitor starting with no charge, the time

constant is the amount of time an RC circuit takes to
charge a capacitor to about 63.2% of its final value.

 The time constant is the amount of time an RC

circuit takes to discharge a capacitor by about 63.2%
of its original value.

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 22

 Time Constant Demo
Each circuit has a 1 F capacitor charged to 100 Volts.
When the switch is closed:
• Which system will be brightest? 2 I=2V/R
• Which lights will stay on longest? 1
• Which lights consumes more energy? Same U=1/2
CV2

1 2

 = 2RC  = RC/2
Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 23
Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 24
 Summary of Concepts
• Charge (and therefore voltage) on Capacitors cannot change
instantly: remember VC = Q/C

• Short term behavior of Capacitor:

– If the capacitor starts with no charge, it has no potential difference
across it and acts as a wire
– If the capacitor starts with charge, it has a potential difference across it
and acts as a battery.

• Long term behavior of Capacitor: Current through a Capacitor

eventually goes to zero.
– If the capacitor is charging, when fully charged no current flows and
capacitor acts as an open circuit.
– If capacitor is discharging, potential difference goes to zero and no
current flows.
• Intermediate behavior: Charge and current exponentially
approach their long-term values  = RC
Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 25
 Practice! R
+ -

Calculate current immediately after switch is closed: I

+ +
C
E -
-

Calculate current after switch has been closed for 0.5 seconds: S1

R=10
C=30 mF
E =20 Volts
Calculate current after switch has been closed for a long time:

Calculate charge on capacitor after switch has been closed for a long time:

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 26

 ACT: RC Challenge E = 24 Volts
R=2
After being closed for a long time, the C = 15 mF
switch is opened. What is the charge R

Q on the capacitor 0.06 seconds after

the switch is opened?
C 2R
E
1) 0.368 q0 2) 0.632 q0

3) 0.135 q0 4) 0.865 q0
S1

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 27

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 28
 RC Summary
Charging Discharging
q(t) = q(1-e-t/RC) q(t) = q0e-t/RC
V(t) = V(1-e-t/RC) V(t) = V0e-t/RC
I(t) = I0e-t/RC I(t) = I0e-t/RC

Time Constant  = RC
Large  means long time to charge/discharge

Short term: Charge doesn’t change (often zero or max)

Long term: Current through capacitor is zero.
Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 29
 Charging: Intermediate Times
Calculate the charge on the capacitor 310-3 seconds after switch 1
is closed.
R = 10 
q(t) = q(1-e-t/RC) V = 50 Volts
C = 100F
= q(1-e -310-3 /(2010010-6))
)
+ 2R -

= q (0.78) Ib

+ +

Recall q =  C
 C
- R
-

S2
= (50)(100x10 ) (0.78) -6
S1

= 3.9 x10-3 Coulombs

Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 30
Physics 102: Lecture 7, Slide 31