All Flashcards
What is the effect of increasing resistance (R) in an RC circuit?
Increases the time constant (τ), resulting in slower charging and discharging of the capacitor.
What is the effect of increasing capacitance (C) in an RC circuit?
Increases the time constant (τ), resulting in slower charging and discharging of the capacitor.
What happens when a capacitor reaches steady state in a DC circuit?
It blocks DC current and acts like an open circuit.
What is the effect of connecting capacitors in series?
It decreases the overall equivalent capacitance.
What is the effect of connecting capacitors in parallel?
It increases the overall equivalent capacitance.
What is the effect of increasing the resistance in an RC circuit?
Increasing resistance increases the time constant, slowing down the charging/discharging process.
What is the effect of increasing the capacitance in an RC circuit?
Increasing capacitance increases the time constant, slowing down the charging/discharging process and allowing it to store more charge.
What is the effect of reaching steady state in a DC circuit with a capacitor?
The capacitor blocks DC current, acting like an open circuit.
What happens if a capacitor is uncharged in a circuit?
Current flows freely through the circuit.
What is the effect of connecting capacitors in parallel?
The total capacitance increases, allowing the circuit to store more charge at a given voltage.
Define capacitance.
Capacitance is the ability of a component or circuit to collect and store energy in the form of an electrical charge.
What is steady state in a DC circuit with a capacitor?
Steady state is when the capacitor is fully charged and no current flows through it, acting like an open switch.
Define the time constant () in an RC circuit.
The time constant ( = RC) is the time it takes for a capacitor to charge to about 63% of its maximum voltage or discharge to about 37% of its initial voltage.
Define equivalent capacitance.
The equivalent capacitance is the total capacitance of a circuit with multiple capacitors, simplified into a single value.
What is an RC circuit?
An RC circuit is a circuit containing both a resistor (R) and a capacitor (C).