electromagnetism

Capacitors & RC Circuits

Watch a 3D capacitor charge and discharge through a resistor. See the exponential voltage curves, calculate the time constant τ = RC, and explore series/parallel capacitance.

RC Circuits

A-Level

A capacitor stores charge Q = CV. When connected to a resistor, it charges and discharges exponentially with a time constant τ = RC. After one time constant, the voltage reaches 63% of its final value during charging.

Capacitance100μF

Resistance10kΩ

Supply Voltage6.0V

📐 Formulas

\tau = RCTime to reach 63% of final value

V = V_0(1 - e^{-t/RC})Voltage during charging

V = V_0 e^{-t/RC}Voltage during discharging

E = \frac{1}{2}CV^2Energy in a capacitor

📋 Syllabus

AQA3.7.4.4

EdexcelTopic 7