EXPERIMENT

MEASUREMENT OF TIME CONSTANT OF AN RC CIRCUIT

In this activity you will determine the time constant of an RC circuit and use the value to
calculate the resistance of an unknown resistor used in the RC circuit.

Introduction
A capacitor is a device that can store electric charge. Generally, a capacitor consists of two
parallel plates one that can be made positive and one that can be made negative. A capacitor
may be charged by connecting it to a source of voltage. As electrons enter the negative plate,
the electrons on the positive plate are displaced and move out. Consequently, as the negative
plate becomes more negative, the positive plate becomes more positive. The increase in charge
is accompanied by an increase in the electric field between the two plates. As the field increases,
the charging process is hindered and takes more time to occur. Because the process of charging
(and discharging) a capacitor is time-dependent, a capacitor can be employed as a timing device.
The time to charge/discharge a capacitor is dependent upon the resistance in the circuit. The
greater the resistance, the greater the time it takes to discharge the capacitor. The product 𝑅 ⋅ 𝐶
(resistance × capacitance) is called the time constant of the circuit.
A circuit that contains a combination of a capacitor and a resistor is called an RC circuit. RC
circuits are used as timing controls in circuits that turn on and off, such as blinker lights in a
car. Capacitor circuits are also used to store energy, sort of like a battery, but in a different
fashion. Storage capacitors are used to power camera flash units and defibrillators function
because electrons from a low-voltage battery can be "pumped" into a capacitor, creating an
electric charge with a much higher voltage. For example, the capacitor in a simple camera flash
circuit uses a 1.5 V battery to generate a 300 V charge. You may have noticed that charging a
camera flash takes some time. The duration required for charging is known as the time constant
of the RC circuit.
In terms of voltage, V, and the time constant 𝑅𝐶, the behavior of an RC circuit is described by
the following equations:
▪ Charge : 𝑉𝑐 = 𝑉𝑜 (1 − 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 ) (1)

▪ Discharge : 𝑉𝑐 = 𝑉𝑜 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 (2)

where:
• 𝑉𝑜 is the initial voltage across the capacitor.

• 𝑒 is the base of natural logarithms (≈2.178…….).

• t is the elapsed time.
• R is the resistance in the circuit.
• C is the capacitance of the capacitor.
The term "RC" is known as the time constant and is commonly represented by the Greek
letter tau (τ).
The graph illustrates how the voltage across the capacitor changes over time. It shows:
• Charging phase: The voltage across the capacitor increases over time, following an
exponential curve.
• Discharging phase: The voltage decreases exponentially when the capacitor
discharges
Observation:
The voltage change across a capacitor follows an exponential relationship during both
charging and discharging processes.

The experiment :
1. Experimental appartus

• Resistor of unknown value

• Capacitor (2200 𝜇𝐹)
• DC power supply ( set the voltage to 10V) Multimeter

• Stopwatch
• Voltmeter Capacitor
Resistor
 2. Experimental Procedure: How We Do Things
Part 1: observing capacitor charging
1. Connect the circuit by placing the resistor and capacitor (2200 μF) in series with the
DC power supply (set to 10V).
2. Turn on the power supply and observe how the capacitor charges over time.
3. Discuss how the capacitor gradually stores energy and how the voltage across it
increases, eventually reaching the supply voltage. No measurements are required in this
part focus on qualitative understanding.
Part 2: measuring capacitor discharge
1. Disconnect the power supply while keeping the resistor and capacitor connected in
series to observe the capacitor discharging.
2. Use a voltmeter to measure the voltage across the capacitor every 10 seconds as it
discharges. Record the values.
As outlined, the discharge of a capacitor follows an exponential decay equation (2). In
terms of voltage, V, and time Constant, RC, the variables that affect the behavior of an RC
circuit may be summarized as :
𝑉𝑐
𝑉𝑐 = 𝑉𝑜 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 or = 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶
𝑉𝑜

To linearize this equation, you can take the natural logarithm, ln, of both sides of the
equation:
𝑉 𝑉 𝑡
𝑙𝑛 (𝑉𝑐 ) = 𝑙𝑛(𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 ) or 𝑙𝑛 (𝑉𝑐 ) = − 𝑅𝐶
𝑜 𝑜

−1
Notice that the slope of the above equation is equal to 𝑅𝐶 .
𝑽
3. Plot a graph of 𝒍𝒏 (𝑽𝒄 ) versus time (t), where:
𝒐

o 𝑉𝑐 is the measured voltage across the capacitor at each time step.

o 𝑉𝑜 is the initial voltage across the capacitor (10V at full charge).
4. The slope of the resulting linear graph will allow you to determine the RC time
constant, which characterizes the discharge behavior of the circuit.

Questions
1. What is the role of the resistor in an RC circuit?
2. How does the capacitance value affect the charging and discharging process?
3. What does the time constant (τ=RC) represent in an RC circuit?
4. Show that the capacitive time constant RC has units of seconds.
5. Derive the expression for the half-life 𝒕𝟏/𝟐 of the discharging capacitor, this means the time
taken for the voltage across the capacitor to fall to half its initial value(50%). Calculate the
half-life 𝑡1/2

6. Suppose a capacitor is charged to 10V and then allowed to discharge through a 10kΩ
resistor. Calculate the voltage after 30 seconds if C=2200μF.
 PHY 1402 LAB.REPORT
EXPERIMENT
TIME CONSTANT OF AN RC CIRCUIT
NAME: DATE:
SECTION:
***

1.EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSE :
State the purpose of the experiment. (5 points)

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND APPARTUS:

Briefly outline the apparatus used and the general procedures adopted. (5 points)
1. Construct the following circuit, using the wire leads with alligator clips to connect all the
components (DC power suplly, resistor, capacitor, voltmeter). Leave one lead of the power
supply disconnected for the time being. Have your lab instructor check the circuit before
moving to the next step. (5 points)

Charging the Capacitor: (5 points)

2. Turn on the voltmeter and then charge the capacitor by connecting the power supply to the
circuit. Call your instructor to confirm that the charging is complete.

3. What happens to the voltage across the capacitor once the power supply is connected ?

Discharging the Capacitor: (60 points)

You are about to measure the discharge of the capacitor by measuring voltage across the
capacitor over a period of time. The data table below designed to collect a voltage reading
every 10 seconds for a period of 5 minutes, beginning at 0 seconds.
4. Disconnect the power supply and record the voltage across the capacitor every ten seconds
for a period of five minutes. Record all data in the table. (15 points)
 𝒕 𝑽𝒄 𝑽𝒐 𝑽𝒄
𝒍𝒏 ( )
𝑽𝒐

5. Plot a graph of voltage 𝑽𝒄 versus time t. (10 points)

𝑽
6. Plot a graph of 𝒍𝒏 (𝑽𝒄 ) versus time t. (15 points)
𝒐
7. Determine the slope of the line in the second graph. Summarize your calculations in the
space below . (3 points)

Slope=

8. What is the value of “ RC” ? (4 points)

RC=

9. Use the value of RC to determine the resistance of the resistor in the circuit. Summarize
your calculations in the space below. ( 3 points)

R=

10. Verify the resistance of the resistor by measuring its resistance. (5 points)
R=
11. Calculate the percent difference between the resulting resistance. Summarize your
calculations in the space below. (5 points)
CONCLUSIONS: (5 points)

QUESTIONS: (10 points)