RC Circuits Physics 204B Laboratory

RC Circuits

Introduction. In this set of investigations we will explore the behavior with time of the
charge on the plates of a capacitor as it charges and discharges through a resistance. As an
interesting timing application for capacitors, you will also construct and investigate a relaxation
oscillator (flasher).

When Kirchhoff’s voltage rule was applied to a capacitance (C) and a resistance (R) in
series, we found that the voltage across the capacitor as it discharges through the resistor is
given by
V  V0 e t C , (1)
where V0 is the voltage at t  0 and C  RC is called the capacitive time constant for the RC
combination; this constant sets the time scale on which the discharge occurs.

A similar analysis for the charging process, in which a battery or other source of emf (V0) is
placed in series with R and C, shows that the voltage is given by

V  V0 1  e t C  (2)
if it is zero at t  0. In this case the voltage approaches that of the battery asymptotically as the
charging proceeds.

Procedure. You will need the following:

 Laptop with Labquest interface  Battery holder and batteries for 6V source
(25.1, 26.3)
 current probe (20.1)  bulb (6.3V) and socket (26.2)
 neon glow lamp (I2)  18000 F capacitance (15.3)
 differential voltage sensor (20.1)  wires, alligator clips, spade lugs (9.1)
 SPDT switch (24.2)  100 resistor (17.1)
 Digital multimeter (8.1)  90 V battery source (I2)
 stopwatch (5.1)  two 1 M resistors (I2)
 two 1 F capacitors (250 V) (I2)  EXTECH LCR meter (14.1)
 French curve (D3)

I. Charging and Discharging (qualitative investigation): Connect the switch, the 6.3 V
light bulb, the large capacitor, and the 6 V source as in the circuit at the below:
6V

single pole 1 bulb

1. Move the switch to the discharge position (2) to drain any residual charge from the capacitor.
After at least 30 s, switch it to the charging position (1) and describe what happens to the
brightness of the bulb. Make a sketch of approximate brightness vs. time in your notebook.

2. After the switch has been in the charging position for a while, move it back to discharge C.
Again, describe what happens to the brightness of the bulb and sketch a brightness vs. time curve
for this process.

Try to explain your observation in terms of the charge on the capacitor and its motion (i.e., the
current) in the circuit.

II. Charging and Discharging (quantitative investigation): Since (as you discovered in the
Ohm’s law investigation) the resistance of the bulb does not remain constant with varying
current, we will replace it with a 100 resistor to do a careful quantitative investigation of how
the charge and current vary with time in your capacitor circuit.

Use the DMM to measure R  R for a 100 resistor and the LCR meter to measure
C  C for the capacitor1 you used in the bulb observation above. Use these elements to
construct the circuit below:

6V

+ DVS -
1 R blk
CP
+ -
2 C

Connect the current probe in series with R and C with the arrow as indicated to measure the
capacitor current (dQ/dt); clip the differential voltage probe (DVS) across the capacitor terminals
to measure capacitor voltage (proportional to the charge Q on the plates).

Connect the current probe (CP) and the Differential Voltage Sensor (DVS) to Chs. 1
and 2, respectively, of the LabPro. Bring up Logger Pro on the laptop and open up the file
Charging and Discharging in the Physics Labs\204B Labs\Dietz’s 204B Labs\Auxiliary
Files folder. Zero both probes and move the switch to position 2 to discharge the capacitor.
Begin collecting data and move the switch to position 1. When the current and voltage stop
changing, move the switch back to position 2. Sketch the current vs. time and the voltage vs.
time curves in your notebook for both the charging and discharging processes. Does the I vs. t

1
Always discharge the capacitor before connecting it to the meter! Use the 100 Hz FREQ setting for this lab.
RC Circuits Physics 204B Laboratory
graph help you understand the behavior of the light bulb in part I?

Analysis:

1. Discharge: Use the AnalyzeExamine cursor to determine the time interval between
the closing of the switch to position 2 and the reduction of the charge (or the voltage) on the
capacitor to 37% of its maximum value obtained when the switch was in position 1. (Another
way to look at it: how long does it take for 63.2% of the change to occur when the switch is
moved?) Estimate an uncertainty based on how closely you can read the graph.

Select the portion of the V vs. t discharge curve where the voltage is changing and try to
fit a curve with the form of Eq. (1) above to the data (AnalyzeCurve Fit). You may find it
useful to check the “time offset” box below the list of equations.

Comment on the quality of the fit and whether this indicates that the process is
exponential. Compute the value of C for your fit, along with the uncertainty.

Compare the three values of your time constant C: (a) from the component values,
C  RC ; (b) from the value of “t” at 63.2% of the way down on the discharge curve; and (c)
from the exponential curve fit. Are all these values consistent, considering uncertainties?

2. Charge: Repeat the analysis for the charging (beginning) portion of the V vs. t curve,
comparing the three values of C from the component values, the 63.2% point and the fit to Eq.
(2). If this value is different from that obtained for the charging process, can you think of a
reason?

III: Flasher (Relaxation Oscillator): Construct the circuit below with C  1 F,
R  1 M, and the glow lamp. Measure C and R and record the values.

Caution: When building this circuit, make connections to the battery last. Disconnect the
battery first when changing or dismantling the circuit. Avoid contact with both battery terminals
simultaneously.
R

C neon
90 V bulb

The neon bulb has the property that when the voltage applied between its terminals
exceeds a certain value (the threshold voltage), the gas in the bulb breaks down and conducts
current.

When the connections are completed and the button pressed and held, the neon bulb
RC Circuits Physics 204B Laboratory
2
should flash periodically . From your knowledge of RC circuits and the behavior of the bulb,
sketch a curve that you think represents the voltage across C vs. time. With your stopwatch,
measure the time interval T between flashes (average over several intervals!).

Predict: What will be the new value of T when C is replaced by two 1-F capacitors in series?
What assumptions are you making with this prediction?

Make this change (again, disconnect the battery when working on this circuit!). Measure
the new time interval between flashes. How was your prediction?

Uncertainties. Meter uncertainties for R and C are in Appendix B. Eq. 8(b) in

Conclusion. Do your observations indicate that charging and discharging a capacitor

2
If the bulb doesn’t flash, try reversing the polarity of its leads.