Name: Jude Harvey Abad Score

Year/Section: BSEE2A_E1 Date: November 14, 2019

Simulation Results

Circuit Diagram for short time Capacitor Charge and Discharge.

Result (Wave Pattern showing the Charge and Sudden Discharge of Capacitor).

QUESTIONS

Long Time:
1. Equation 1 can be written as ln [ΔVf -V (t)] = lnΔVf –t/τ. This means that if we plot ln [ΔVf -V (t)] =
lnΔVf –t/τ versus t, the slope will correspond to -1/τ and will show straight line graph. Find the natural
logarithm of V(t) from your data and plot lnΔV(t) versus t. and -ln [(ΔVf – ΔV)/ ΔVf]) versus t.

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25

𝑙𝑛∆𝑉(𝑡) 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑠 𝑡.
Name: Jude Harvey Abad Score
Year/Section: BSEE2A_E1 Date: November 14, 2019

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25

∆𝑉𝑓−∆𝑉
−𝑙𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑠 𝑡.
∆𝑉𝑓

2. Similarly, equation 2 can be written as lnΔV (t) = lnΔVo –t/τ. This means that if we plot
ln(ΔV/ΔVo) versus t, the slope will correspond to -1/τ and will show straight line graph. Find the natural
logarithm of V (t) from your data and plot lnΔV(t) versus t. and -ln(ΔV/ΔVo) versus t.

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Name: Jude Harvey Abad Score
Year/Section: BSEE2A_E1 Date: November 14, 2019

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25

3. Find the slope of the best-fit line and thus obtain the experimentally measured value of the time
constant. Compare the time constant obtained from this slope with the predicted value of τ using τ =
RC and the values of R and C obtained previously.

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝜏 − 𝑆𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝜏
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 𝑥100
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝜏

10 − 10.140
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 𝑥100 = 1.4%
10

4. What is the percent error between accepted and experimental values of the capacitance?
The percent error between accepted and experimental values is accepted. We got small
value of error because we only just compare the simulation and In the simulation gives an exact
value what we’re looking for.
Name: Jude Harvey Abad Score
Year/Section: BSEE2A_E1 Date: November 14, 2019

Short Time:
1. Compare your measured value with the product of RC obtained from the individual values of R and
C measured earlier and equation τ = RC.
We can’t compare the measured value since we didn’t perform the experiment.

2. Using Equation 3, show the mathematical reasoning behind why the time constant, τ, represents a
37% decrease in the initial voltage for a discharging capacitor.

The time constant ( τ ) is still equal to the value of 63% in a RC Discharging Circuit basing on
the results that we had. The voltage across the capacitor after one time constant, 1T, has dropped
by 63% of its initial value which is 1 – 0.63 = 0.37 or 37% of its final value, for a RC discharging circuit
that is initially fully charged. Hence, the time constant of the circuit is given as the time taken for the
capacitor to discharge down to within 63% of its fully charged value. Then, one time constant for an
RC discharge circuit is given as the voltage across the plates representing 37% of its final value, with
its final value being zero volts (fully discharged), and in our curve this is given as 0.37Vs. It does not
lose its charge at a constant rate as the capacitor charges. The initial conditions of the circuit are: t =
0, i = 0 and q = Q at the start of the discharging process. The voltage across the capacitors plates is
equal to the supply voltage and VC = VS. Maximum discharge current therefore flows around the RC
circuit as the voltage at t = 0 across the capacitors plates is at its highest value.

CONCLUSION AND OBSERVATION

In this experiment, the long time and short time charging and discharging of capacitors with
different resistors and were observed and the data were collected. The main objective of the
laboratory activity was to charge up the capacitor.

In the circuit, we used the resistor and the capacitor with the Dual DC power supply. We
observe the capacitor was being charged and the voltage was increased as shown in the previous
graph in which the curve is increasing. The increasing graph represents the charging of the capacitor
while the decreasing graph shows the discharging of the capacitor.

To show the relation between the time constant, the resistance and the capacitor, time
constant was also taken into account. The time constant shows how long it takes to charge up the
capacitor. One time constant represents the time it requires the voltage of the capacitor to reach 63%
of its maximum voltage. As the time constant increases, the voltage reaches the maximum voltage of
the capacitor. Time constant matched theoretically by calculating τ which is given by the Resistance
multiplied by the Capacitance.

We conclude that the objective of this experiment was achieved because the charging and
discharging was observed with expected results through simulation and doing theoretical solutions.
The charging shows the exponential increase and the discharging shows the exponential decrease.