Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

Name: Department: Student ID:

Team No. : Date : Lecturer’s Signature :

Student preparations
- Principles of Physics, 10th ed. Walker, Halliday and Resnick, Ch. 27 Circuits; Ch. 28 Magnetic
Fields

- PASCO AC/DC Electronics Experiment Manual

Goals circuits where electric charges and energy may be

stored via Coulomb’s force. The amount of stored
• To learn how the voltage across a capacitor varies charge (Q) is proportional to the potential dif-
with time as it is charged or discharged when it is ference between the two plates (∆VC ) such that,
serially connected to a resistor. Q = C∆VC , where the proportionality constant
C is the capacitance of the capacitor. When a
• To learn how the current in an inductor varies with DC voltage source is connected across a capacitor,
time as the electromotive force (emf) is turned on electric charges will accumulate at the rate deter-
or off when it is serially connected to a resistor. mined by the current I supplied by the voltage
• To understand how the serial RC and RL circuits, source. As a result, the both Q and ∆VC will
respectively, respond to the AC emf. change with time. In essence, the rate of accu-
mulation will decrease as the amount of already
accumulated charges increases.
Theoretical Background
Using the Kirchhoff’s voltage rule for a single loop,
Resistance (R), capacitance (C) and inductance (L) are the sum of the potentials going around a serial cir-
the most basic quantities of electrical circuits. Even in cuit of a DC voltage source, a resistor and a ca-
a minimal circuit only including a light bulb connected pacitor is written as follows.
to a battery via wires, the above three quantities will
always exist however small they may be. (Think about dQ Q
V − RI − ∆VC = V − R − =0 (1)
why!) When the emf device supplies an electric potential dt C
of V to a circuit loop, a current flowing in any part of the
The solution to the above time-dependent differ-
loop is determined by the Ohm’s law, I = V /R, where
ential equation is found as follows.
R is a resistance of the circuit. As the Ohm’s law has
no explicit time dependence, the same amount of cur-
 
Q(t) = CV 1 − e−t/τRC (2)
rent will flow immediately after the switch is turned on
until it is turned off. In contrast, inclusions of a capac-
Note that the capacitive time constant τRC ≡ RC
itor and/or an inductor will introduce time-dependent
was used, which determines the rate of charging.
changes in the amount of current flow.
If the DC voltage is turned off after the capaci-
• RC Circuit - DC tor is charged, the differential equation in Eq. (1)
should be reset with V = 0. The solution in this
A capacitor is any terminated conducting sur- discharging process is given as follows using the
face, or typically a pair of those, in electrical charge Q0 just before being turned off.

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

derivative of the current and the backward poten-

Q(t) = Q0 e−t/τRC (3) dI
tial across the inductor such that ∆VL = −L .
dt
Note that the time constant τRC is the same for
Using the Kirchhoff’s voltage rule for a single loop,
both charging and discharging processes.
the sum of the potentials going around a serial
• RC Circuit - AC circuit of a DC voltage source, a resistor and an
inductor is written as follows.
Suppose that an AC voltage of an angular fre- dI
quency ω = 2πf , namely V (t) = V0 cos(ωt), is 0 = V − RI − (−∆VL ) = V − RI − L (7)
dt
used in the RC circuit. Now, Eq. (1) should be
(Think about why we use −∆VL but not ∆VL
rewritten as follows.
above.) The solution to the above time-dependent
dQ Q differential equation is found as follows.
V0 cos(ωt) − R − =0 (4)
dt C V 
−t/τRL
I(t) = 1−e (8)
The solution to the above differential equation is R
found to be as follows. (Try solving it by yourself.) Above, we used the inductive time constant τRL ≡
L/R, which determines the rate of current satura-
V0 tion.
Q(t) = sin(ωt + ΦRC ) (5)
ωZRC
If the DC potential is turned off when a current
Above, we used
q the impedance of the RC cir- flows in the inductor, the differential equation in
cuit ZRC = R2 + XC2 and sin ΦRC = XC /ZRC , Eq. (7) should be reset with V = 0. The solution
in such case is given as follows using the current
where XC ≡ 1/ωC is the capacitive reactance.
I0 just before being turned off.
The current flowing in the circuit can then be ob-
tained as the time derivative of Q(t) as follows.
I(t) = I0 e−t/τRL (9)
V0 Note that the time constant τRL is the same for
I(t) = cos (ωt + ΦRC ) (6)
ZRC both processes.
The above solution shows that the current in the • RL Circuit - AC
RC circuit is ΦRC behind in phase with respect to
the driven AC voltage. Note that the RC circuit Suppose that an AC voltage, V (t) = V0 cos(ωt),
can work as either a simple high-pass or low-pass is used in the RL circuit instead of a constant V .
filter of ω. Now, Eq. (7) should be rewritten as follows.
• RL Circuit - DC dI
V0 cos(ωt) − RI − L =0 (10)
dt
An inductor is any curved conductor, typically The solution to the above differential equation is
loops or coiled wires, in electrical circuits where found to be as follows. (Try solving it by yourself.)
current and magnetic energy may be stored via
Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws. The amount of stored V0
I(t) = cos(ωt − ΦRL ) (11)
current (I)
R is proportionalR to the magnetic flux ZRL
ΦB ≡= B ⃗ · d⃗a where d⃗a is the effective area
Above, q
we used the impedance of the RL circuit
vector of the loop. In the relation ΦB = LI, the
proportionality constant L is called the inductance ZRL = R2 + XL2 and sin ΦRL = XL /ZRL , where
of the inductor. Given Faraday’s law of induction, XL ≡ ωL is the inductive reactance. The solu-
dΦB tion shows that the current in the RL circuit is
∆VL = − , we also find that the inductance ΦRL ahead in phase with respect to the driven AC
dt
determines the proportionality between the time voltage.

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

Experiment
Equipment

• AC/DC Electronics Lab Board (EM-8656).

• Voltage Sensor

• DC power supply

• Multimeter

• Banana cables and alligator clips.

Experiment Design

• RC Circuit

Place 100 Ω resistor in the pair of component

springs and connect a 330 µF capacitor between
the component spring on the left end of the 100
Ω resistor and the other component spring.
Connect the alligator clips to the wires at both
ends of the capacitor, and plug its banana cable
to the voltage sensor A on the Universal Interface
and the lab board. Connect another to both end
of the resistor and plug to the voltage sensor B.
The data can be monitored and analyzed with Figure 1: RC Circuit Experiment Setup (ATTEN-
PASCO Capstone program. It provides a TION: Use another set of wires to connect be-
oscilloscope display of voltage versus time and tween the resistor to the sensor channel B. This
two-dimensional phase diagram of input and is not shown in the figure.)
output voltage. The output of the 850 Universal
Interface can be used as the signal generator, • RL Circuit
controlled by PASCO Capstone program.
Set the sampling options for the data taking as Connect a wire lead between a component
1 kHz and data taking time for 4 seconds. spring next to the top banana jack and the
(higher sampling rate and longer data acquisition component spring at the right hand edge of the
time, the program may slow down the computer) inductor coil(RENCO-RL-1238-8200).
Connect the 10Ω resistor between the
DC EXPERIMENT ONLY: Set the component spring at the left hand edge of the
signal generator output to 4.00 V, and inductor coil and the second component spring to
select the positive-only square AC the left of the top banana jack.
waveform at f = 0.4 Hz. Set the ”On/Off” Connect another wire lead between the
button to ”Auto” so the signal generator will component spring nearest to the one where one
start automatically. end of the resistor is connect and a component
AC EXPERIMENT ONLY: Set the spring nearest to the bottom banana jack.
signal generator output to 3.00 V, and Connect the voltage sensor A to both ends of
select the sine AC wave at f = 0.4 Hz to the resistor, respectively. Connect the voltage
begin with. Set the ”On/Off” button to ”Auto” sensor B to both ends of the inductor coil,
so the signal generator will start automatically. respectively.

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

Connect the banana cables and the voltage Experimental Procedure

sensor between 850 Universal Interface and the
1. RC Circuit - DC
lab board.
Set the sampling options for the data taking as (a) Using the multimeter, measure the resistance
10 kHz and data taking time for 1 seconds. of the resistor and the capacitance of the ca-
(higher sampling rate and longer data acquisition pacitor.
time, the program may slow down the computer) (b) Click the ”Monitor” button to begin data
DC EXPERIMENT ONLY: Set the monitoring in a fast monitoring mode. Oth-
signal generator output to 4.00 V, and erwise, click the ”Record” button. Data
select the positive-only square AC recording will continue for 4 seconds.
waveform at f = 50 Hz. Set the ”On/Off” (c) Plot the voltages across the capacitor and the
button to ”Auto” so the signal generator will resistor, respectively, versus time. Export
start automatically. and save data as an ASCII text file, either
AC EXPERIMENT ONLY: Set the tab-limited or comma-separated.
signal generator output to 3.00 V, and (d) Open the saved data using MS Excel or sim-
select the sine AC wave at f = 4.00 Hz. Set ilar. Plot a graph of ∆VC and ∆VR versus t,
the ”On/Off” button to ”Auto” so the signal and identify the charging and the discharging
generator will start automatically. curves, respectively.
(e) Find τRC by performing appropriate data
analysis.
2. RC Circuit - AC
(a) At the frequency f = 0.4 Hz, click the ”Mon-
itor” button to begin data monitoring in a
fast monitoring mode.
(b) Measure the Vp−p (peak to peak voltage) val-
ues of the source, capacitor and resistor by
using the voltages versus time plots of them.
(It is recommended to export and save data
as an ASCII text file.)
(c) Select the next frequency at approximately
1.5f , and round it to the tenth place in Hz.
Repeat the measurement of the three Vp−p ’s,
and export data.
(d) Repeat the above step up to approximately
50 Hz. As the frequency is increased, adjust
the sweep speed as required.
3. RL Circuit - DC
(a) Find the inductance of the inductor(RENCO-
RL-1238-8200) in the datasheet, and use it as
the nominal value. You can easily find it on
google.
(b) Using the multimeter, measure the resistance
of the inductor coil(Rl ) and the resistor(Rr ).
Use their sum as the net resistance R in this
Figure 2: RL Circuit Experiment Setup experiment.

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

(c) Click the ”Monitor” button to begin data (a) At the frequency f = 4.0 Hz, click the ”Mon-
monitoring in a fast monitoring mode. Oth- itor” button to begin data monitoring in a
erwise, click the ”Record” button. Data tak- fast monitoring mode.
ing will end automatically after 1 seconds. (b) Measure the Vp−p (peak to peak voltage) val-
(d) Plot a graph of the voltage across the resistor ues of the source, inductor and resistor by
versus time, and also the voltage across the using the voltages versus time plots of them.
inductor versus time. Export and save data (It is recommended to export and save data
as an ASCII text file, either tab-limited or as ASCII text files.)
comma-separated.
(c) Select the next frequency at approximately
(e) Open the saved data using MS Excel or sim- 2f rounded to the tenth place. Repeat the
ilar. Plot a graph of V versus t, and identify measurement of the source Vp−p and the re-
the ramping up and ramping down curves, sistor voltage, and export data.
respectively.
(d) Repeat the above step up to approximately
(f) Find τRL by performing appropriate data
4000 Hz or available frequency. As the fre-
analysis.
quency is increased, adjust the sweep speed
4. RL Circuit - AC as required.

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

Data Acquisition and Analysis

• Experiment 1: RC Circuit - DC

Item Nominal Measured

Resistance, R (Ω)

Capacitance, C (F)

RC (s)

Fitted τRC (s)

Note that the data must be exported from the Capstone and saved as an ASCII text file. Plot graphs
of y = |loge V | versus x = t for the charging and discharging processes separately. Fit them with linear
functions and find τRC . (The fitted graphs may separately be submitted in an MS Excel file or similar.)

Solution:

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

• Experiment 2: RC Circuit - AC (Use the same R and C as in Exp. 1.)

Vp−p (V) Vp−p (V)

f (Hz) source resistor capacitor f (Hz) source resistor capacitor

Plot two graphs: 1) Vresistor /Vsource versus f , and 2) another to find τRC by linear fitting.

Solution:

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

• Experiment 3: RL Circuit - DC

Item Nominal Measured

Inductor L= H Rl = Ω

Resistor, Rr (Ω)

total R (Ω)

L/R (s)

Fitted τRL (s)

Note that the data must be exported from the Capstone and saved as an ASCII text file. Plot graphs of
y = |loge V | versus x = t for the ramping up and ramping down separately. Fit them with linear functions
and find τRL . (The fitted graphs may separately be submitted in an MS Excel file or similar.)

Solution:

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

• Experiment 4: RL Circuit - AC (Use the same R and L as in Exp. 3.)

Vp−p (V) Vp−p (V)

f (Hz) source inductor resistor f (Hz) source inductor resistor

Plot two graphs: 1) Vresistor /Vsource versus f , and 2) another to find τRL by linear fitting.

Solution:

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

Discussions
1. Explain how the currents in the RC and RL circuits, respectively, can be obtained from the data that we
measured.

Solution:

2. Discuss how the serial RC circuit can be used as either a simple high-pass or low-pass filter, respectively.

Solution:

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Fundamental Physics Experiment II RC & RL Circuits Spring Semester, 2025

Summary and Conclusions

- Make a brief summary of the experimental results in 2 - 3 sentences. (In this experiment, what physical quantities
did we measure and how did we measure them? If it includes any particularly important physical quantities, what
are their values that we obtained?)
- Finally, make a short conclusion of the experiment. (What physics did we learn from this experiment? If it
includes a law of physics, try to state it in a sentence instead of using an equation.)

Solution:

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