TO STUDY THE CHARGING AND

DISCHARGING OF A CAPACITOR
AIM: To study the charging and discharging characteristics of a
capacitor and to determine the capacitance of the given
capacitor.
APPARATUS REQUIRED:
Charging and discharging capacitor kit, connecting
leads, Capacitor, Resistor.
Part I Charging of Capacitor
Charging
R

When the switch is closed such that the battery is As the current starts to charge the capacitor the
included in the circuit the current will flow in the voltage in the capacitor increases. The voltage is
circuit and the capacitor is charged. noted for every 10 Seconds up to 200 seconds.
 Calculation of Capacitance from the Charging curve

The time constant (T) at - is RC

The capacitance of the capacitor is C = =

Part II Discharging of Capacitor
R

Discharging

The switch is closed in such a way that battery is not

connected in the circuit and the resistance is The voltage starts decreasing from the maximum
connected to discharging point as shown in the value as the capacitor starts discharging. The
circuit. decrease in the voltage for every 10 seconds is noted
 Discharging
Time
S. No. Voltage
(Seconds)
(V)

1 10  
2 20  
3 30  
4 40  
5 50  
6 60  
7 70  
8 80  
9 90  
10 100  
     
     
     
  200  
 Calculation of Capacitance from the discharging curve

The time constant (T) at

The capacitance of the capacitor is C = =

Result:

1) The voltage-time curve representing the charging and

discharging of the given capacitor has been drawn.
2) The capacitance of the capacitor is found to be __ Farad