NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERSITY

Integrated Basic Education Department

Senior High School
Lagao, General Santos City

General Physics 2

Quarter: Finals Date: 2021.03.08 – 2021.03.12

Week No.: 9 21st Century Skills:
Damean’s Beat: Quality Education  Critical Thinking
NDDU’s 4Cs: ☐ Christian Leaders  Computing/ICT Literacy
 Competent Professionals ☐ Communication
 Community-Oriented Citizens ☐ Creativity
☐ Culture-Sensitive Individuals ☐ Collaboration
Teacher/s: Jean V. Handog ☐ Cross Cultural Understanding
Mark Hero S. Cabusao ☐ Career and Learning Self Reliance
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Module No.: 7
I. Topic: R-C CIRCUITS
II. Learning Targets:
At the end of the lesson, I can:
1. solve problems involving the calculation of currents and potential difference in circuits
consisting of batteries, resistors and capacitors;
2. identify the current and potential difference in charging or discharging the capacitor;
III. Introduction/Content/Review

We learned from our previous modules the

importance of resistors and capacitors in a
circuit. We often analyzed circuits with only
resistors or capacitors. In this lesson, we will
study circuits containing both resistors and
capacitors together in a circuit.
Figure 1. Example of circuit with both capacitor and resistor.

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 RECALL

Recall that capacitor is an electrical Resistors are electronic components

device if connected to a voltage that keep the current and voltage at
source, electrons are removed from the level that other electronic
one plate and an equal number are components need to function properly.
deposited on the other plate.

RC circuit or Resistor-Capacitor circuit is a circuit with both resistor and capacitor. These are
frequent elements in electronic devices and it plays an important role in the transmission of electrical
signals in nerve cells.

How capacitor and resistor work in a circuit

In an R-C circuit, the capacitor does the storing of energy and the resistor placed in series with it will
control the rate at which it charges or discharges. This causes and produces a characteristic time
dependence that turns out to be exponential called the time constant or RC (τ). Note that 1 ohm
times 1 farad is equal to 1 second (1 𝛀) x (1F)= 1 sec.

The charge on capacitor cannot change instantaneously. Recall that current is equal to the change
∆𝑄
in charge over a change in time 𝐼 = ∆𝑡 . Hence, ∆𝑄 = 𝐼∆𝑡 and charge becomes zero as the time
interval 𝛥t goes to zero.

Example:
The natural response happens when you put some initial energy
into the circuit. If it is in an RC circuit, it represents charge that
is stored on the capacitor at the beginning of the analysis. The
image shown (figure 1) will explain what happens on the circuit
when the switch changed from a to b and is connected in a
battery to the RC combination and see what happens as the
capacitor discharges back through the resistor. The discharge
pattern is called the natural response. Let’s say that the switch has been in a for a very long time, the
current will flow out from the main source or battery (𝑉𝑏 ) going to the resistor and flow through the
capacitor leaving some charges in the capacitor (𝑉𝐶 ). As charge flowed to the capacitor, it piled up on
it and corresponding negative charge occurs (see figure 2).

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 The amount of positively charge is equal to the amount of negatively
charge explaining why capacitor is collecting charges. We know that
charge is equal to the capacitance value times the voltage (𝑞 =
𝐶𝑉). Thus, if capacitor accumulates more and more charges, the
+++ +++ voltage or potential difference increases while capacitance will remain
𝑉𝑐 constant as the property of the capacitor. Note that the current through
--- ---
the resistor stops and will become zero.

Figure 3 presents the simplified circuit by

Figure 2. throwing the switch from a to b and
cancelling the battery from the circuit since +++ +++
it is done in initially putting some charge on the capacitor.
--- ---
What will happen if a buch of charge stored on capacitor (C)?
The charges are going to rush out of the capacitor and will go back to
Figure 3. Simplified circuit
the resistor to neutralize the charge on the bottom plate meaning that
there is no net charge and the voltage will become zero. Thus, in
every natural response, the energy in the circuit is allowed to die to zero.

Charging and Discharging Capacitor

1. Discharging of the capacitor = pot diff of capacitor decreases, because bottom plate of capacitor neutralizes
- The capacitor initially is connected (switch on position a) for a long time and is then
disconnected by moving the switch to b at time t=0. The capacitor then discharging,
leaving the capacitor without charge or voltage after a long time.

2. Charging the capacitor = pot diff of capacitor increases, because bottom plate of capacitor neutralizes
- The switch is on position b for a long time, allowing the capacitor to have a no chagre. At
time t=0, the switch is changed to a and the capacitor charges.

Discharging Charging
Charge 𝑄0 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 𝑄∞ (1 − 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶
Current 𝐼0 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 𝐼∞ 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶
Voltage 𝑉0 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 𝑉∞ (1 − 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 )

The 𝑄0 , 𝑉0 and 𝐼0 refers to the charge, voltage and current of the capacitors in the instant after the
switch is thrown.

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 EXAMPLE

The circuit has been in position a for a long time. At time t=0, the switch is thrown to position b. With
the following given 𝑉𝑏 = 12 V, 𝐶 = 10 𝜇𝐹, R= 20 Ω. Refer to the circuit below.

a.) What is the current through the resistor just before the switch is thrown?

I=0 or the current is zero.

b.) What is the current through the resistor just after the switch is thrown?
𝑉
Using Ohm’s law 𝐼 = 𝑅
12𝑉
𝐼=
20𝛺

𝑰= 0.6 A

c.) What is the charge across the capacitor just before the switch is thrown?

𝑄 = 𝐶𝑉
𝑄 = (10𝜇𝐹)(12𝑉)
𝑸 = 𝟏𝟐𝟎 𝝁𝑪 or 𝟏. 𝟐 𝒙 𝟏𝟎−𝟒 𝑪

d.) What is the charge on the capacitor just after the switch is thrown?

Charge does not change instantaneously. Thus, 𝑸 = 𝟏𝟐𝟎𝝁𝑪 or 𝟏. 𝟐 𝒙 𝟏𝟎−𝟒 𝑪

e.) What is the charge on the capacitor at a time t=0.3 msec after the switch is thrown?

−𝑡/𝑅𝐶
𝑄 = 𝑄0
𝑅𝐶 = (20 𝛺)(0.00001 𝐹)
𝑅𝐶 = 0.0002 𝑠𝑒𝑐 or RC=0.2 msec

𝑸 = 𝟏𝟐𝟎 𝝁𝑪 𝒆−𝟎.𝟑𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒄/ 𝟎.𝟐𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒄

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IV. Check your Understanding

1. Do you agree that a larger capacitor impedes the flow of current? Why or Why not?

2. In connection to item number 1, what happens to the charging and/or discharging of the
capacitor?

3. The circuit has been in position b for a long time. At time t=0, the switch is thrown to position a.
With the following given 𝑉𝑏 = 12 V, 𝐶 = 10 𝜇𝐹, R= 20 Ω. Refer to the circuit below.

a.) What is the current through the resistor just before the switch is thrown?
b.) What is the current through the resistor just after the switch is thrown?
c.) What is the charge across the capacitor just before the switch is thrown?
d.) What is the charge on the capacitor just after the switch is thrown?
e.) What is the charge on the capacitor at a time t=0.3 msec after the switch is thrown?

Answer key:
a.) I=0
b.) I= 0.6 A
c.) Q= 0
d.) Q=0
e.) 93.2 µC

V. Enrichment

Your enrichment activity will be in a short test that will be posted in Moodle.

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VI. References/Materials

Power point
Hand-outs

Arevalo, R. (2017). General Physics 1. Diwa Learning Systems, Inc. Makati City, Philippines. pp
93-97

https://www.electronicshub.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/6.Example-of-kirchoffs-voltage-
law.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKdK_L4jbV0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sVeFqlSV4A

https://web.pa.msu.edu/courses/2000fall/phy232/lectures/rccircuits/rc.html

http://engineering.sdsu.edu/~johnston/EE204_PDF_Slides/Chapters%208-10/CH09.pdf

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 NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERSITY
Integrated Basic Education Department
Senior High School
Lagao, General Santos City

General Physics 2

Student’s Name: ________________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

Grade & Section: ________________________________
Quarter: Finals Week No.: 9
Teacher/s:Jean V. Handog

_________________________________
Parent’s/Guardian’s Name & Signature

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