Low Pass Filter:

· Filter that passes low frequency components of a signal but rejects the high
frequency components of a signal is called as low pass filter.
· Filters designed with passive components (Resistor, capacitor, inductor) are
called as passive filters.

Behaviour of capacitor to frequency can be described as follows

V 1
For f=0 (Low frequency) capacitive reactance of capacitor Xc= = =∞, So it
I 2pfC
acts as a open circuit
V 1
For f=∞ (High Frequency) capacitive reactance of capacitor Xc= = =0So it
I 2pfC
acts as a short circuit
Operation
For low frequency since capacitor is open circuited, current flowing in the
circuit is zero. So the output voltage vout= vin
For high frequency since capacitor is short circuited, the output voltage across a
short is zero So the output voltage vout= 0
The frequency response curve can be shown as below
 Calculation of cutoff frequency:

vout= XC v
in
R + XC
vout = XC vin
R 2 + XC 2
If R=Xc
Vout= 1 vin=0.707 vin
2
At the frequency of which R=Xc, the output will be 70.7% of the input.
1
Xc=R=
2pfC
1
Cutoff frequency fc=
2pRC
LPF as Integrator:
· Output voltage (current) is directly proportional to the integration of the input
voltage(current)
· The time constant RC of the circuit should be very large as compared to the time
period of the input wave.
· The value of R should be 10 or more times larger than Xc.

For high frequencies the capacitor has insufficient to charge up, its voltage is small. So
the voltage across the resistor is approximately equal to the input voltage.
vin=VR
VR vin
i= =
R R
The charge q on the capacitor at any instant is
q= ò idt
q ò idt 1
output voltage vout= vc=
C
=
C
=
RC
ò vindt
High Pass Filter:
· Filter that blocks low frequency components of a signal but passes the high
frequency components of a signal is called as high pass filter.
· Filters designed with passive components (resistor, capacitor, inductor) are called
as passive filters.