a) What is the time constant of the circuit?

University Physics Volume 2
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Chapter10: Direct-current Circuits
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 96CP: Consider the circuit below. The capacitor has a capacitance of 10 mF. The switch is closed and after...
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**Problem 3:**

A 10 mF capacitor is charged in series with a 50Ω resistor using a 1.5V battery.

a) What is the time constant of the circuit?

b) If you wanted the capacitor to charge more slowly, what resistor should you substitute, a 10Ω one or a 100Ω one? Explain.
Transcribed Image Text:**Problem 3:** A 10 mF capacitor is charged in series with a 50Ω resistor using a 1.5V battery. a) What is the time constant of the circuit? b) If you wanted the capacitor to charge more slowly, what resistor should you substitute, a 10Ω one or a 100Ω one? Explain.
Expert Solution
Step 1: Know the basic concepts for a RC circuit:

For a series RC circuit, the charge on a charging capacitor at any time t is given as,

Q left parenthesis t right parenthesis equals C V subscript 0 left square bracket 1 minus e to the power of negative t over tau end exponent right square bracket                                     (1)

where Q left parenthesis t right parenthesis is the charge on the capacitor at any time tV subscript 0 is the initial potential difference across the capacitor, C is the capacitance, and tau is the time constant. 

The time constant for a series RC circuit is given by the formula.

tau equals R C                                                        (2)

where tau is the time constant, R is the resistance, and C is the capacitance of the circuit. 


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