RC Circuit/Time constant

Lecture 9
 Switches
 A circuit can be open or closed.
• Different states at different times
 A switch controls whether a circuit is open or closed.

 The schematic symbol is an angled line showing a break

in the circuit.
 Time constant
Exponential Decay
Many systems have an exponential decay type of
behavior.
There are several natural processes in which the rate of change of
a quantity is proportional to that quantity.
One biological example is the case of population growth in which
the rate of increase of the number of members of a species is
proportional to the number present. In this case the population is
said to grow exponentially.
A radioactive example is the case in which the rate of loss of the
number of nuclei is proportional to the number of nuclei present.
The number of nuclei decreases exponentially.
 Discharge of a capacitor

An electrical example of exponential decay as well as

the time constant is that of the charge and discharge of
a capacitor through a resistor.
A capacitor stores charge, and the voltage V across the
capacitor is proportional to the charge q stored, given
by the relationship

V = q/C,

where C is called the capacitance.

 Capacitor Discharge

A resistor dissipates
I(t)
electrical energy, and the
C R voltage V across it is
proportional to the current
(which is just the rate of
V (t ) 
Q(t ) flow of charge) through it,
C given by
V = R. dq / dt
where R is called the
resistance
 Capacitor Discharge
When a charged capacitor is connected to a resistor, the
charge flows out of the capacitor and the rate of loss of
charge on the capacitor as the charge flows through the
resistor is proportional to the voltage, and thus to the
total charge present, can be expressed as

Where,
R=resistor Dq/dt= charge flows q/c=V and – sign
shows the rate of loss of charge
 Capacitor Discharge

This has the exponential solution

Where,
qo is the initial charge on the capacitor (at time t = 0).
 Capacitor Discharge
Exponential voltage function
As the voltage across the capacitor is proportional to its
charge, the voltage V displays the same exponential
behavior
 Time Constant
The period of time for a decrease by a factor of e
is the time constant .
  RC
For system which have thus kind of behavior, we
may note that when
T = RC than
Time Constant

Discharge voltage = 0.632V0

 Time Constant
Time taken by the instrument to indicate
63.2% value of the final value of the
measured variable is called as time constant.
When
t=2RC V=0.866Vo
t=3RC V=0.95 Vo
t=4RC V=0.971Vo
t=5RC V=0.99Vo
 Exponential Decay
The discharge of a capacitor
can be represented by an
exponential curve.
• Depends on initial voltage
 Charging Up
 A battery can be used to I(t)
charge a capacitor. R
• Includes resistance
V C
 The circuit forms one loop.

 The capacitor approaches a

maximum voltage.
• V = Q/C
SIGNIFICANCE OF TIME CIRCUIT IN RC
CIRCUIT
 RC circuits are freqent element in electronic devices.
They also play an important role in the transmission of
electrical signals in nerve cells. A capacitor can store
energy and a resistor placed in series with it will control
the rate at which it charges or discharges.
 The resistive-capacitive (RC) time constant is the time
required to charge a capacitor to 63.2 percent of its
maximum voltage.
 The two fundamental applications/operations of RC
circuits are as: filter circuits, in the frequency domain; as
timing circuits, in the time domain.
 The amount time required to charge and discharge a
capacitor is a very important factor in the design of
circuits. Resistors are often used in combination with
capacitors in order to control the charge and discharge
time necessary for the intended application. Resistance
directly affects the time required to charge a capacitor.
As resistance increases, it takes more time to charge a
capacitor. The amount of time for the capacitor to
become fully charged in a RC circuit depends on the
values of the capacitor and resistor in the circuit.
 As you adjust the values of resistance and capacitance,
note how the rate of charge greatly decreases over time.
The latter part of the charging time is many times longer
than the first part. In fact, a capacitor reaches 63.2% of
its charge in one fifth of the time it takes to become fully
charged. Because of this, capacitors in actual
applications are generally not fully charged. Capacitors
in circuits are generally charged to just 63.2% of full
capacity. The time required for a capacitor to charge to
63.2% of its full capacity is referred as its RC time
constant
 Charge and Discharge
 The curves for charging voltage increases while the
current decreases.
 When potentials match there is no current.