Principle
A capacitor is charged by way of a resistor. The current is measured as a function of time and the effects of capacitance, resistance and the voltage applied are determined.
Benefits
- Simple and very clear set-up: only few components required
- Further experiments in electricity and electronics can be performed with the equipment
Tasks
- To measure the charging current over time:
- using different capacitance values C, with constant voltage U and constant resistance R
- using different resistance values (C and U constant)
- using different voltages (R and C constant).
- To determine the equation representing the current when a capacitor is being charged, from the values measured.
Learning objectives
- Charging
- Discharging
- Time constant
- Exponential function
- Half life
Even more accurate readings are possible when using the multimeter 07124-12.