RC-RL Circuits

Introduction:
The goal of this experiment is to understand how capacitors and inductors affect the flow
of current when changes in potential occur. We also aimed to learn how to analyze the time
behavior of voltages and currents in resistor-capacitor and resistor-inductor circuits. Lastly, we
are trying to measure the time constants of simple RC and RL circuits.
Procedure:
For this lab, we were to use the Pasco 850 Universal Interface along with the Capstone
software program. We set the parameters to the desired inputs and measured the data for the first
circuit. We recorded the time, voltage, and the sketch of the graph. We then made an excel graph
of time and voltage. We did this for a total of 4 different combinations of resistors and capacitors.
A 10 ohm resistor with a 330 microfarad capacitor, a 10 ohm resistor with a 100 microfarad
capacitor, a 33 ohm resistor with a 330 microfarad capacitor, and lastly a 33 ohm resistor with a
100 microfarad capacitor. We then ran the program with and without the iron cylinder in the
inductor and recorded the results.
Data:
All of the data is attached.
Analysis:
For most of our graphs, we were able to get a linear time versus voltage graph. It was not
completely linear, but it was really close. We were able to see how the different combinations of
resistors and capacitors affected the graphs. We were also able to see how the graph was affected
with and without the iron cylinder in the coil.
Conclusion:
We were able to analyze the graphs of RC and RL circuits. This could be useful when
needing to know how a capacitor is going to react with respect to time over an interval. It is also
useful to see how the capacitors react to different resistors and can help determine which resistor
would be most beneficial in certain applications.