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Direct-Current Circuits: Fall 2008 Physics 231 Lecture 6-1
Direct-Current Circuits: Fall 2008 Physics 231 Lecture 6-1
Series
Parallel
Vab Vax V xy V yb
V1 V2 V3 Vab
1 1 1 1
; Reff 2
Reff 6 3 2
yielding
Reff 4 2 6 yielding
V 18
I 3 Amps
R eff 6
V4 3 4 12Volts ;
V2 3 2 6Volts
6Volts
I6 1 Amp ;
6
6Volts
I3 2 Amps
3
2
The power dissipated in R2 is given by P V
R
When the switch is closed neither V nor R changes
With the switch open the current in the circuit is zero and
zero charge accumulates on the capacitor
Physics 231 Lecture 6-25 Fall 2008
RC Circuits
Now close the switch Initially the full potential will be
across the resistor as the potential
across the capacitor is zero since q is
zero
Initially the full potential is across the
resistor
The initial current in the circuit is then
given by I 0 / R
Vresistor Vcapacitor 0
q
IR 0
C
q
Solving for the current I
R RC
As time increases, the charge on the capacitor increases,
therefore the current in the circuit decreases
q C 1
The resultant integration yields ln
C RC
What will be the voltage across the capacitor a long time after
the switch is closed?
(a) VC = 0 (b) VC = R2/(R1+ R2) (c) VC =
After a long time the capacitor is completely charged, so no
current flows through it
The circuit is then equivalent to a battery with two resistors in
series
The voltage across the capacitor equals the voltage across R2
(since C and R2 are in parallel)
Physics 231 Lecture 6-30 Fall 2008
RC Circuits
The current in the circuit is given by
d q t / RC
I e I 0 e t / RC
dt R
and looks like
Vresistor IR
The capacitor will now act as a source of emf, but one whose
value is not constant with time
q Q0e t / RC
t
The voltage across the resistor is given by V V0 e RC
a) Q1 > Q2 b) Q1 = Q2 c) Q1 < Q2
Initially, the charges on the two capacitors are the same. But the two
circuits have different time constants: 1 = RC and 2 = 2RC
Since 2 > 1 it takes circuit 2 longer to discharge its capacitor
Therefore, at any given time, the charge on capacitor 2 is larger than that on
capacitor 1
Physics 231 Lecture 6-37 Fall 2008
Example 5 a b
The capacitor in the circuit shown is initially
charged to Q = Q0. At t = 0 the switch is R 3R
connected to position a.
C
At t = t0 the switch is immediately flipped
from position a to position b.
a) Which of the following graphs best represents the time dependence of the
charge on C?
Q0
Q0
Q0
a) b) c)
Q
Q
Q
b) Which of the following correctly relates the value of t0 to the time constant
a while the switch is at a?
(a) t0 < a (b) t0 = a (c) t0 > a
Physics 231 Lecture 6-38 Fall 2008
Example 5 a b
The capacitor in the circuit shown is initially
charged to Q = Q0. At t = 0 the switch is R 3R
connected to position a.
C
At t = t0 the switch is immediately flipped
from position a to position b.
a) Which of the following graphs best represents the time dependence of the
charge on C?
Q0
Q0
Q0
a) b) c)
Q
Q
Q
For 0 < t < t0, the capacitor is discharging with time constant t = RC
For t > t0, the capacitor is discharging with time constant = 3RC,
i.e., much more slowly Therefore, the answer is a)
Physics 231 Lecture 6-39 Fall 2008
Example 5 a b
The capacitor in the circuit shown is initially
charged to Q = Q0. At t = 0 the switch is R 3R
connected to position a. C
At t = t0 the switch is immediately flipped
from position a to position b.
Q0
Q0
Q0
a) b) c)
Q
Q
Q
b) Which of the following correctly relates the value of t0 to the time constant
a while the switch is at a?
Charging
It takes time to put the final charge on
Initially, the capacitor behaves like a wire (V = 0, since Q = 0).
As current starts to flow, charge builds up on the capacitor
it then becomes more difficult to add more charge
the current decreases
After a long time, the capacitor behaves like an open switch.
Discharging
Initially, the capacitor behaves like a battery.
After a long time, the capacitor behaves like a wire.
Physics 231 Lecture 6-41 Fall 2008