PHYS 2211L

LAB 5

RC Circuits

Purpose
Capacitors have a variety of applications in electric circuits. Because they can store charge, they can be used as a temporary voltage source. For instance, the starter in an automobile makes use of the discharge of a capacitor. Because the discharge of a capacitor involves a fixed time, they are often key components in time or frequency dependent applications. In this lab we will observe the discharge of some capacitors and measure the characteristic times of some resistor capacitor !"C# circuits.

Principles
$ capacitor consists of two or more electrodes separated by air or other non conducting material. %hen a voltage is applied across the electrodes, an equal an opposite charge will appear on each electrode. &he capacitance of a capacitor, measured in farads, is defined as the amount of charge stored for a given voltage'
C= Q V

&he charge on the capacitor will be maintained only so long as there is no conducting path between the electrodes. If a resistor is connected across its terminals, current will flow through the resistor and the capacitor will discharge until the charge on each electrode has equali(ed. &he capacitor thus acts as the power source for the resistor, but only for a fixed time. The RC Circuit Current will flow in the "C circuit only so long as there is a voltage difference between the capacitor)s electrodes. $lso, we find that the current is not constant, but gradually decreases as the capacitor discharges.

Aug 05

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PHYS 2211L

LAB 5

RC Circuits

23./C

23I"

RC Circuit

&he rate at which the capacitor discharges depends both on its capacitance and on the resistance through which the current flows. &o see this, look at the loop equation for the "C circuit'
Q IR = , C

Q is the charge at any time on the capacitor and I = dq/dt is the current through the resistor. -ince the current increases as the charge Q decreases, we have dq/dt = -dQ/dt so that
Q dQ + R =, C dt

-olving this differential equation for . as a function of time we get

Q = Q, e t / RC

where Q0 is the initial charge on the capacitor. -ince the voltage is proportional to the charge we also have !0#
V =V, e t / RC

&he charge and the voltage thus decrease exponentially 1 quickly at first, then increasingly slowly.

The Time Constant

Aug 05

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PHYS 2211L

LAB 5

RC Circuits
&he quantity RC has units of time and determines the rate of the decay. $ time of RC seconds is called the time constant or characteristic time for the circuit and is often given the symbol . $fter seconds, the voltage will have decreased to e 0 !about .4*5# of its initial value. $fter 2 seconds, it will have decreased to e 6 !about .4*56 or .04+# its initial value, and so on. In this lab we will time the discharge of some capacitors and determine their time constants. In the first part we will time the decay of a slow capacitor !i.e., large capacitance# using a stopwatch. %e will do this twice' once using the internal resistance of a voltmeter as the resistance in the "C circuit and a second time using another resistor in parallel with the meter. By measuring the capacitor voltage over time and graphing the results, we can find the time constant in each case. %e can then calculate the capacitance of the capacitor and the internal resistance of the meter. Capacitors and Alternating Voltage In the second part of the lab, we will time the discharge of two fast capacitors !small capacitance# in alternating current !$C# circuits. %e will use an oscilloscope to time the voltage decay. &o charge these capacitors, we will use a function generator set to 7square wave8 voltage output. $ square wave voltage reverses its polarity at regular intervals'

2oltage &ime

&he current in the circuit will thus alternate in direction at a frequency that can be set, and the capacitors will alternately charge and discharge. &he exponential character of each part of the cycle will be visible on the oscilloscope screen. It will be easiest to measure the 7half lives8 of the capacitors 1 the time it takes them to decay to half their initial voltage values. It is easy to show that the half life, t1/2, is related to by !6#
t0 / 6 = ln 6

Aug 05

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RC Circuits

LAB 5

Procedures: RC Circuits - DC
&he diagrams below illustrate the two circuits we will use in :art $ of the laboratory. In ;iagram 0, we connect a voltmeter and a power supply across the terminals of a capacitor. &o charge the capacitor, we close the switch, and the capacitor will charge up to the output voltage of the power supply, set to V0. &he experiment begins when we open the switch. &he capacitor will then discharge through the !unknown# internal resistance of the voltmeter, Rm. %e will read the voltage across the capacitor every few seconds. From the graph of the data, we can determine the time constant, <0 of this circuit. =ext, in ;iagram 6, we connect a second resistor, Rs, across the capacitor and go through the same procedure. &he time constant for this circuit <6 will be different, since the total resistance is different. %e will then have two equations in two unknowns, which we can solve for the capacitance of the capacitor and the resistance of the meter'
0 = R m C 6 = R6 C

where R2 is the equivalent resistance of Rm and Rs in parallel.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Equipment
Capacitor !>4, uF# ?ultimeters !;??# "esistor !?@ range# ;C :ower supply !A2:-# -topwatch Banana wires $lligator clips or other connectors

Aug 05

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RC Circuits

LAB 5

Procedures: RC Circuits - DC

P rt A: DC !olt "e
0. -et the power supply to 0,., volts output. 6. Connect the 44 microfarad capacitor across the power supply !see ;iagram 0#. Be sure to connect the capacitor with the correct polarity' the arrow on the capacitor should point towards ground. 4. Connect the ;??, set to measure ;C voltage, across the capacitor. B. %hen you are ready to start timing, unplug the positive lead from the power supply and start the stopwatch. !Cnplugging this lead will be our switch#. +. "ecord the voltage across the capacitor at 4, second intervals for 0, minutes. *. =ow go through the same procedures using a resistor in parallel with the capacitor and the voltmeter' connect the circuit in ;iagram 6 using the resistor supplied. 9. $gain, charge up the capacitor by connecting to the power supply. 5. Cnplug the positive lead from the power supply and start the stopwatch. D. "ecord the voltage across the capacitor at 4, second intervals for 0, minutes. 0,. ?easure and record the resistance of the resistor with the ;??.

An l#sis
0. For each circuit, plot V/V0 versus time on metric graph paper and on semi log graph paper. Eou can put the plots for both circuits on the same sheets of metric and semi log graph paper. a. etric gra!hs' -cale the graph so the plots fill the entire sheet. For each circuit, indicate the time constant < !< 3 "C# on the time axis and the corresponding voltage on the vertical axis. "# $emi-log gra!hs' "eview the section in the introduction to the lab manual on semi log graphs. If we take the natural log of both sides of expression !0#, we get
ln! V t # = V, RC

which will be linear on a semi log plot. :lot the actual values of V/V0 on the vertical axis and time on the hori(ontal axis and determine the slope of each graph. =ote that the slope of a semi log graph is given by
m= ln! & 6 / &0 # % 6 %0

Aug 05

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RC Circuits

LAB 5

Procedures: RC Circuits - DC

6. From the slopes of the semi log plots, determine the time constant < ! = RC# for each circuit. 4. Eou now have the two equations in two unknowns cited above. Csing your data, solve these equations for Rm and for C. B. Compare your calculated value for C with the nominal value of the capacitor, or with a directly measured value. +. In your report, diagram the discharging "C circuit, write down the loop equation for the circuit and derive expression !0# by integrating the loop equation. *. -how that RC has units of time.

Aug 05

9,

RC Circuits

LAB 5

Procedures: RC Circuits - AC
=ow we will observe the oscilloscope trace of two 7fast8 capacitors as they charge and discharge in response to an alternating voltage. %e will determine the time constants of each circuit by measuring the 7half lives8 of each capacitor. &he scope is necessary, because the decay times are in the millisecond range. %e will compare the measured values with their theoretical values.

Equipment
Capacitors !6 1 uF range# "esistors !6 k@ range# Function generator Fscilloscope Banana wires $lligator clips or other connectors B=C connectors

P rt B: AC !olt "e
0. -et up the circuit above' a resistor and a capacitor connected in series with a function generator. :ut the capacitor closest to ground. -et the function generator to a 0, 2olt square wave output. Connect the oscilloscope across the capacitor to measure its voltage. 6. $dGust the scope)s amplitude scale !72olts/div8# so that the full waveform will take up most of the vertical scale. $dGust the frequency output of the generator so that the full decay of the capacitor is visible. !If the frequency is too high, the capacitor will begin to charge again before it has fully dischargedH if it is too low, the square part of the wave will take up too much of the trace.# $dGust the scope)s time scale !7-ec/div8, the frequency scale# so that about 0 0/6 periods of the waveform are displayed. Eou will have to coordinate the two settings' frequency output of the generator and frequency

RC Circuits

LAB 5

Procedures: RC Circuits - AC
scale of the scope. Eou can get an idea of the required frequency from = RC !"emember that f = 1/'( frequency is the inverse of the period of a cycle.# 4. For each capacitor, measure the time it takes to decay to I its maximum voltage value. B. For each capacitor, measure the capacitance directly with the ;??. $lso measure the resistance of the resistor, and record the output impedance !resistance# of the generator, if it is listed. !&he total resistance should include the output impedance, which is resistance, or the equivalent of resistance, internal to the generator. $ 7Aow Impedence8 output is generally in the neighborhood of 0, 6, ohms and can be ignored. $ 7Jigh Impedence8 output can be from +, to 0,,, ohms and should be listed on the device.#

An l#sis
0. -tarting with V =V, e t / RC , show that' t0 / 6 = RC ln 6 . 6. Calculate the time constant < for each circuit from your measured values of the half lives. 4. Calculate the capacitance for each circuit from ) = RC. &he resistance in each circuit should include the output impedence of the generator, if necessary. B. &ake the percent difference between your measured and calculated values for the capacitances.

RC Circuits

LAB 5

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P rt A: DC Circuits
C KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK !measured value# Circuit 1 Time Voltage Time Rs' KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK Circuit 2 Voltage

1: KKKKKKKKKK Calculated Values: C: KKKKKKKKKK L difference'

2: KKKKKKKKKK

Rm: KKKKKKKKKK

RC Circuits

LAB 5

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P rt B: AC Circuits

Capacitor 1 Labeled value for capacitance: easured value for capacitance: !;??# Resistance in RC circuit: !alf"deca# time $t1%2& Time constant $& Calculated capacitance: ' difference

Capacitor 2