Green Valley English School

Varanasi

Session – 2024-25
Physics Activity File

Submitted by- Submitted to-

Aman Kumar Singh Ashish Srivastava
XII Science (PCM)
Rollno.-03
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Bhavana Jaiswal of
class XII has successfully completed the
project on the topic Charging and
Discharging of Capacitors in RC circuit
under the guidance of Mr. Ashish
Srivastava Sir during the year 2024-25 in
the partial fulfilment of the physics
practical examination conducted by the
CBSE.

External Examiner Teacher Incharge

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my immense
gratitude to my physics teacher Mr.
Ashish Srivastava Sir for the help and
guidance he provided for completing this
project.
I also thank my parents who gave their
ideas and inputs in making this project.
Most of all I thank our school
management, for providing us the
facilities and opportunity to do this project.
Lastly, I would like to thanks my
classmates who have done this project
along with me. Their support made this
project fruitful.

Bhavana Jaiswal
 TOPIC
Charging and
Discharging of
Capacitor in RC Circuit
 AIM
To verify that 63% charge is stored in a capacitor
in a R-C circuit at its time constant and 63%
charge remains when capacitor is discharged and
hence plot a graph between voltage and time.
 INTRODUCTION
An R-C circuit is a circuit containing a resistor and a
capacitor in series to a power source. Such circuits find
very important applications in various areas of science and
in basic circuits which act as building blocks of modern
technological devices.

1. Charging of capacitor: -
A capacitor is a passive two terminal electrical component
used to store energy in an electric field. In the hydraulic
analogy, charge carriers flowing through a wire are
analogous to water flowing through a pipe. A capacitor is
like a rubber membrane sealed inside a pipe. Water
molecules cannot pass through the membrane. The
analogy clarifies a few aspects of capacitors:

 The flow of current alters the charge on a capacitor,

just as the flow of water changes the position of the
membrane. More specifically, the effect of an electric
current is to increase the charge of one plate of
capacitor, and decrease the charge of other plate by
an equal amount. This is just like how, when the
water flow moves the rubber membrane, it increase
the amount of water on the other side.

 The more a capacitor is charged, the larger its

voltage drop; i.e., the more it “pushes back” against
the charging current. This is the analogous fact that
the more a membrane is stretched, the more it
pushes back on the water.
  Current can flow “through” a capacitor even though
no individual electron can from one side to the other.
This is analogous to the fact that water can flow
through the pipe even though no water molecule can
pass through the rubber membrane. Of course, the
flow cannot continue the same direction forever; the
capacitor will experience dielectric breakdown, and
analogously the membrane will eventually break.

 The capacitance describes how much charge can be

stored on the one pate of capacitor for a given “push”
(voltage drop). A very stretchy, flexible membrane
correspondence to a higher capacitance than a stiff
membrane.

 A charged-up capacitor is storing potential energy,

analogously to a stretched membrane.

2. Discharging of capacitor: -
Using hydraulic analogy only we can understand that
when the capacitor is charged the membrane is
stretched, but now if you allow the water to come out
slowly and let the membrane relax, then it is called
discharging of capacitor. In other words, when the
charge on each of the plates become zero and the
potential difference across its terminal drops to zero.
MaTeRIals ReqUIReD: -

 Breadboard
 100 μF capacitors
 1 M Ω resistor
 Multi-meter
 9V battery
 Wire stripper, connecting wires, battery
connector

 Stopwatch
 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 capacitor varies as an exponential function of time, i.e.
V α ext
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 battery
E – Vc – IR = 0 ……………..(i)
Vc = Q/C
Putting above in eq. (i)
E – Q/C – IR = 0
Since,
I = dQ/dt therefore,
 E – Q/C – dQ/dt *R = 0
Putting above in eq. (i)
E – Q/C – IR = 0
Since,
I = dQ/dt therefore,
E – Q/C – dQ/dt *R = 0
E – Q/C = dQ/dt *R
EC – Q = dQ/dt *RC
Integrating both sides,

-ln (EC-Q)/EC = t/RC……………(ii)
1- Q/EC = e-t/RC
Hence, we get
Q = EC (1- e-t/RC)
Since, EC = Qo
Therefore,
Q = Qo (1- e-1/RC )…………………(iii)
Where,
Q charge at time ‘T’
Qo maximum charge
Also,
Q = CV and Qo = CVo
Where,
V  voltage at time ‘T’
Vo  maximum voltage
Therefore, from eq. (iii)
 CV = CVo (1- e-1/RC)
V = Vo (1- e-1/RC)
[Note: this is the charging equation only, for discharging
equation proceed the same way but only remove E from
kirchhoff law equation]

Thus, equation for discharging

V = Vo (e-1/RC)
When RC = t, then equation becomes
V = Vo (e-1), which on solving gives
V = 0.63 Vo
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.

This product of R and C has been given a new name, i.e.

time constant and is denoted by  , which mean for any
capacitor in RC circuit 63% of the total charge is at time
constant.

In my experiment I have used a 100µF capacitor and 1 M

resistor thus, time constant = 100  10-6  106 = 100 sec.
 PROCeDURe
Connect all the components in breadboard.
Now take multi meter leads and place them in the
two terminals.
Now take the Battery and its terminal across the
terminal of the capacitor and start the stopwatch.
Note the readings at 20sec intervals and write them
down.
[NOTE: – Reading the previous statement could be
astonishing as it says that measure voltage at 20sec
interval but one could question that current move at very
high speed so how could one measure the changing
readings! But believe me it wasn’t an easy task but since
the voltage depends on reciprocal of exponential function
and as time passes by the changing readings will get
slowed down and even after infinite time the capacitor
could not be charged up to max voltage. Also, since its
time constant is 100sec which is quite practical to measure
at and hence this experiment is very much justified.]
Take 10 readings and if required the 20sec gap could be
increased because as the time passes by the change in
voltage becomes smaller and smaller.
Now let the capacitor be charged up to 460 secs
because then it will become 99.99% charged [since we
have a limited time and we can’t wait for infinite time
for it to charge completely. Now remove the battery
and now attach a wire in place of the battery terminals
and again note the multi meter readings changing and
record them.
Plot a graph between voltage and time for charging as
well as discharging.
ObseRvaTION
Plot of voltage vs time
Time on X-axis and Voltage on Y-axis

◊ For Charging:

◊ For Discharging:
 CalCUlaTION
Now since the Graph are very much similar to the graph of
charging and discharging of capacitor.

At  = 100s, during charging of capacitor the voltage on

capacitor is 5.69 volt as it is observed in the experiment.

Now using the charging formula:

V = 9 ( 1-e-t/t )
V = 9 ( 1-1/e )
V = 5.67  5.69

Which is achieved experimentally as well.

Similarly, during discharging,

V = 9  e-1
V = 3.32  3.30

Which is achieved experimentally as well.

 CONClUsION
Hence it is verified experimentally that 63% charge is there
on capacitor after time constant during charging and 63%
charge is lost at time constant during discharging.