SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

PHYSICS

INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
ON
CHARGING AND DISCHARGING OF CAPACITOR

Submitted for
INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
2024-25

By:
P Mahati
XII-E

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

I would like to express my special thanks to my teacher and for their

guidance, support throughout their duration of the project. We completed the

project successfully by their motivation and their extended support for us.

As well as I would like to thank our Correspondent Dr.R. Kishore Kumar, our

Principal Mrs. Shanthi Samuel who gave me the golden opportunity to do this

mini project, which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and I came to know

about so many new things when I was doing the project.

Finally, I would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in

finalizing this project within the limited time frame.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

S.No Title Page no

1. Introduction 5

2. Experiment 8

3. Observation 13

4. Conclusion 15

5. Bibliography 16

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INTRODUCTION:

Capacitors are essential components in electrical and electronic circuits,

known for their ability to store and release electrical energy. A capacitor is
made up of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material
called the dielectric. When connected to a power source, these plates
accumulate an electric charge: one plate becomes positively charged, while
the other becomes negatively charged. The resulting separation of charges
creates an electric field, which holds energy within the capacitor.

The charging and discharging of capacitors are fundamental processes in

electrical engineering, as they illustrate how energy is stored and gradually
released. When a capacitor is connected in series with a resistor to a direct
current (DC) power source, an RC circuit (resistor-capacitor circuit) is
formed. In this circuit, the resistor controls the rate of current flow to and
from the capacitor. Understanding these charging and discharging cycles
provides insights into the behavior of circuits in electronic devices, such as
timing mechanisms, filters, and memory storage.

The charging and discharging characteristics of capacitors play an

important role in numerous applications. In timing circuits, capacitors are
used to create time delays, as the time constant can be adjusted by
changing the resistor or capacitor values.

This project aims to explore the theory and practical observations of

capacitor charging and discharging in an RC circuit, using real-time
measurements and calculations to illustrate how capacitors behave under
varying conditions.

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The Charging Process

When a capacitor is connected to a voltage source through a resistor, it starts to

charge up. Initially, the capacitor behaves like a short circuit because it is
uncharged, and thus the current flows freely. However, as the charge builds up
on the plates, the potential difference across the capacitor increases, opposing
the supply voltage. Over time, this opposition reduces the current flowing into
the capacitor, causing the charging rate to decrease. The charging process
follows an exponential curve, where the voltage across the capacitor, V(t)
approaches the supply voltage asymptotically.

When a capacitor is connected to a direct current (DC) voltage source, an

interesting process unfolds. Initially, the capacitor plates are uncharged. Upon
connection to the voltage source, electrons begin to flow into the capacitor,
accumulating on one plate and leaving a deficit on the other. This accumulation
of electrons on one plate (negative charge) and the deficit on the other plate
(positive charge) creates an electric field between the plates, thereby storing
energy.

Mathematically, the voltage across the capacitor during the charging process
can be described using an exponential function. If V is the voltage of the power
source, R the resistance in the circuit, and C the capacitance, the voltage across
the capacitor at any time t is given by:

Here, the term t/RC represents a dimensionless quantity where RC is known as

the time constant, denoted by τ. The time constant τ is a measure of how

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quickly the capacitor charges. Specifically, after a time equal to τ , the capacitor
will have charged to approximately 63% of the supply voltage. This exponential
relationship indicates that as time progresses, the rate of charging decreases
until the capacitor is fully charged and the voltage across it equals the supply
voltage.

The Discharging Process

In the discharging phase, the capacitor is disconnected from the power

source and allowed to release its stored energy through the resistor.
Initially, the voltage across the capacitor is at its maximum (equal to the
previously charged voltage), and the capacitor behaves like a voltage
source. The discharge also follows an exponential decay: as the charge on
the plates decreases, the current in the circuit reduces proportionally,
causing a gradual decline in the capacitor's voltage.

When the charged capacitor is disconnected from the power source and
connected across a resistor, it begins to discharge. During discharge,
electrons flow from the negatively charged plate to the positively charged
plate through the resistor, thereby reducing the stored energy in the
capacitor.
The voltage across the capacitor during discharge can also be described by
an exponential decay function. If V ⃘⃘ is the initial voltage across the
capacitor, the voltage at any time t during discharging is given by:

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V (t) = V (1 – e -t/RC )

Again, the term t/RC plays a crucial role in determining the rate of
discharge.
After a time period equal to the time ⃘⃘constant ⃘⃘τ ⃘⃘= ⃘⃘RC, ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘voltage ⃘⃘across ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘
capacitor drops to approximately 37% of its initial value. This exponential
decay continues until the capacitor is fully discharged.

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EXPERIMENT:

AIM:

To investigate the charging and discharging processes of a capacitor in an

RC circuit, and to verify the exponential nature of these processes by
calculating ⃘⃘and ⃘⃘analysing ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘time ⃘⃘constant ⃘⃘τ.

MATERIALS:

- Capacitor
- Resistor
- Knife switch
- DC power supply
- LED
- Connecting wires

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THEORY:

When a capacitor of capacitance C is connected in series with a resistor

of resistance R and then connected to a battery of EMF E it gets charged
but since some resistance has been introduced, this charging process
takes some time and hence the potential difference between the plates
of the capacitor varies as an exponential function of time, i.e.

V α e xt
The circuit diagram for this experiment is given below:-

Applying Kirchhoff’s law in the above circuit during

charging, i.e. capacitor is connected to the battery

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Also Q=CV and Qo=CVo, where V and Vo are voltage at time tnand
max voltage respectively
Therefore from eq (iii),
−𝑡
CV=CVo(1 − 𝑒𝑅𝐶)
−𝑡
V=Vo(1 − 𝑒𝑅𝐶), this is the required expression.

[NOTE:- This is the charging equation only, for discharging equation

proceed the same way but only remove E from Kirchhoff law’s
equation].
Thus equation for discharging,
−𝑡
V=V0(𝑒𝑅𝐶)

When RC=t, then equation becomes,

V=Vo(1 ⃘⃘− 𝑒−1)
Which on solving gives

V=0.63Vo, i.e. the voltage on capacitor at time t=RC becomes 63% of the
max voltage, which means 63% of total charge has been stored in the
capacitor.

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Time Constant

The time constant ⃘⃘τ ⃘⃘is ⃘⃘a ⃘⃘key ⃘⃘parameter ⃘⃘in ⃘⃘both ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘charging ⃘⃘and ⃘⃘
discharging processes of a capacitor. It is defined as the product of the
resistance R and the capacitance C:
τ ⃘⃘= ⃘⃘RC
The time constant represents the time required for the voltage across the
capacitor to change significantly:
- During ⃘⃘charging, ⃘⃘τ ⃘⃘is ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘time ⃘⃘taken ⃘⃘for ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘voltage ⃘⃘to ⃘⃘rise ⃘⃘to ⃘⃘about ⃘⃘63% ⃘⃘of ⃘⃘
final value.
- During ⃘⃘discharging, ⃘⃘τ ⃘⃘is ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘time ⃘⃘taken ⃘⃘for ⃘⃘the ⃘⃘voltage to fall to about 37%
of its initial value.

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PROCEDURE:

◼ Connect one end of the resistor to the positive terminal of the DC power
supply.
◼ Connect the other end of the resistor to the positive terminal of the capacitor.
◼ Connect the negative terminal of the capacitor back to the negative terminal
of the DC power supply.
◼ Insert the knife switch between the resistor and the positive terminal of the
power supply.
◼ Connect the LED in series with another resistor (to limit the current) across
the capacitor.
◼ Close the knife switch to allow current to flow from the power supply.
◼ Observe the brightness of the LED as the capacitor charges. The LED will
gradually get brighter.
◼ As the capacitor charges, the LED's brightness will increase, indicating that
the voltage across the capacitor is increasing.
◼ After the capacitor is fully charged, disconnect the power supply.

◼ Connect the capacitor directly across the resistor with the knife switch to
start the discharging process.

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OBSERVATION

Charging Phase:
Voltage Measurements: The voltage rises quickly at first and then slows as
it approaches the supply voltage V s . The voltage should approach
approximately 63% of V s after a time interval of ( τ ⃘⃘).

Discharging Phase:

Voltage Measurements: Initially, the voltage drops quickly and then tapers
off as it approaches zero. It should reach about 37% of the initial voltage
after a time interval of ( τ ⃘⃘ ).

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LED Behavior:

- Charging: The LED should light up as the capacitor charges, indicating the
flow of current.

- Discharging: When the capacitor discharges, the LED will light up again
and
will dim as the voltage drops.

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CONCLUSION:

In this experiment, the charging and discharging processes of a capacitor were

investigated, demonstrating the exponential nature of these processes. By
observing the behavior of an LED or using a voltmeter, the following key
conclusions were drawn:

⚫ The voltage across the capacitor increases exponentially over time as it

charges.
⚫ The rate of increase is characterized by the time constant τ ⃘⃘= RC, where R is
the resistance and C is the capacitance.
⚫ The LED’s brightness increases gradually, or the voltmeter shows a steady
rise in voltage, reaching near the supply voltage asymptotically.
⚫ The voltage across the capacitor decreases exponentially over time as it
discharges.
⚫ The rate of decrease is also characterized by the time constant
⚫ The time constant ( τ ⃘⃘) is a key parameter that defines the rate of charging and
discharging.
⚫ It was observed that after a time period equal to ( τ ⃘⃘), the voltage across the
capacitor changes to approximately 63% of its final value during charging and
drops to 37% of its initial value during discharging.
⚫ The experimental results supported the theoretical models, showing
exponential behavior in both charging and discharging processes.
⚫ Any discrepancies between theoretical and experimental results were
discussed, considering potential sources of error such as component
tolerances and measurement limitations.

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Overall, the experiment reinforced the theoretical understanding of capacitor
behavior in RC circuits and illustrated how time constants affect the charging
and discharging rates. This knowledge is essential for designing and analysing
electronic circuits involving capacitors.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

⚫ Wikipedia.com
⚫ Physics NCERT book for class XII
⚫ H.C.Verma (Volume-2)

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