VANI VIDYALAYA SENIOR SECONDARY

AND JUNIOR COLLEGE

PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
TOPIC: CHARGING AND DISCHARGING OF CAPACITORS
CLASS: XII - D
PROJECT TEAM:
DEEPASRI RAJKUMAR
LIVYA
PAVITHRA
INTRODUCTION:
What is Capacitance?
Capacitance is the ability of a component or circuit to store electrical energy in
the form of an electric field. It’s a fundamental property of devices called
capacitors.
What is a Capacitor?
A capacitor is an electrical component made of two conductive plates
separated by an insulating material called a dielectric. When a voltage is
applied across the plates, an electric field develops across the dielectric,
causing positive charge to accumulate on one plate and negative charge on the
other.
How Capacitance Works
 When you connect a capacitor to a voltage source (like a battery),
electrons are pushed onto one plate and pulled off the other.
 This separation of charges creates an electric field between the plates.
 The capacitor stores energy in this electric field.
 The amount of charge Q stored per unit voltage V is called the
capacitance C.
The relationship is:
Q=C×V
Where:
 Q = charge (in coulombs)
 V = voltage (in volts)
 C = capacitance (in farads)
Key Points About Capacitance:
 Capacitance depends on:
o The surface area of the plates (larger area → higher capacitance)
o The distance between the plates (closer plates → higher
capacitance)
 o The dielectric material between the plates (different materials
change the capacitance)
 Capacitance is measured in farads (F), but typical capacitors are in
microfarads (μF), nano-farads (nF), or picofarads (pF).
Advantages of Capacitors
1. Energy Storage: Capacitors can store electrical energy efficiently and
release it quickly when needed.
2. Voltage Stabilization: They smooth out voltage fluctuations and reduce
noise in power supplies, providing steady voltage levels.
3. Signal Filtering: Capacitors filter out unwanted frequencies in signals,
enabling clearer audio, radio, and other communication signals.
4. AC Coupling / DC Blocking: They allow alternating current (AC) signals to
pass while blocking direct current (DC), useful in signal processing
circuits.
5. Improving Power Factor: In AC power systems, capacitors improve power
factor, making the system more efficient and reducing energy loss.
6. Compact and Reliable: Capacitors are small, lightweight, and have no
moving parts, so they are very reliable and require little maintenance.
7. Timing Applications: When combined with resistors, capacitors can
create precise time delays, oscillators, and timers in circuits.
8. Fast Charging and Discharging: Capacitors can charge and discharge
rapidly, which is useful in applications requiring quick bursts of energy.
Real-World Applications of Capacitors
1. Electronics and Communication Devices
o Coupling and Decoupling: Capacitors block DC components in
audio and radio signals while allowing AC signals to pass.
o Tuning Circuits: Used in radios and TVs to select specific
frequencies by tuning circuits.
 2. Motor Starters
o Capacitors provide the necessary phase shift in single-phase
electric motors to create a rotating magnetic field for starting.
3. Camera Flashes
o Capacitors store energy and release it instantly to produce a bright
flash in cameras.
4. Computer Motherboards
o Capacitors stabilize power and filter noise to ensure smooth
performance of processors and memory.
5. Electric Vehicles (EVs)
o Capacitors (especially supercapacitors) help in quick charging and
discharging to support acceleration and regenerative braking.
6. Signal Processing
o Capacitors form filters that shape signals, reduce noise, and
process audio and radio frequency signals.
7. Energy Harvesting and Storage
o Supercapacitors are used for energy storage in renewable energy
systems and backup power devices due to their rapid
charge/discharge capability.
8. Medical Equipment
o Capacitors play critical roles in defibrillators by storing and
delivering controlled electric shocks.
9. Flash Memory Devices
o Capacitors help in data storage by maintaining charge states in
certain memory types.
An R-C circuit is a circuit containing a resistor and 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. It should be really helpful if we get comfortable with the
terminologies charging and discharging of capacitors.
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, but some water can
move by stretching 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 the
capacitor and decrease the charge of the other plate by an equal
amount.

 This is just like how, when water flow moves the rubber membrane, it
increases the amount of water on one side of the membrane and
decreases 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 analogous to the
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 get 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 one plate
of a capacitor for a given "push" (voltage drop). A very stretchy, flexible
membrane corresponds to a higher capacitance than a stiff membrane.
  A charged-up capacitor is storing potential energy, analogously to a
stretched membrane.

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 becomes zero and the
potential difference across its terminals drops to zero. Below is a graphical
description of capacitor as a pipe with a membrane: -

AIM:
To study the charging and discharging of capacitors in an RC circuit and to verify
the exponential nature of voltage-time relation using real-time measurements.
APPARATUS REQUIRED:
 Capacitor of 100 µF
 Resistor of 1MΩ
 Battery or DC power supply of 9V
 Connecting wires
 Stopwatch
 Voltmeter or Multimeter
 Switch
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 the
capacitor varies as an exponential function of time, i.e.
V α e^xt
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 the battery
Where:
V– voltage across the capacitor at time t
V₀ - maximum voltage from power supply
R – Resistance
C – Capacitor
RC – Time constant (τ), which indicates how faster the capacitor charges or
discharges
e- base of natural algorithms

This product of R and C has been given a new name, i.e. time constant and is
denoted by τ, which means for any capacitor in RC circuit 63% of total charge is
stored at time constant.

PROCEDURE:

Part A: Charging of Capacitor

1. Circuit Setup:
 Connect a resistor (R) and capacitor (C) in series on a breadboard.
 Connect the series RC combination to a DC power supply (5V or
9V).
 Place a voltmeter (or a digital multimeter in voltmeter mode)
across the capacitor terminals to measure the voltage.
 Include a switch in series between the power source and the
resistor for controlled operation.
2. Initial Condition:
 Ensure the capacitor is fully discharged before beginning the
experiment. You can do this by shorting its terminals using a wire
for a few seconds.
3. Charging Process:
 Close the switch to start charging the capacitor.
 Simultaneously start the stopwatch.
 Record the voltage across the capacitor at regular intervals (e.g.,
every 2 seconds) until the voltage approaches the supply voltage
(V₀).
4. Voltage-Time Table:
 Tabulate the time and corresponding voltage values to observe
how the capacitor voltage increases over time.
Part B: Discharging of Capacitor

1. Setup for Discharging:

o Disconnect the power supply and remove the switch if used.
o Immediately connect the resistor directly across the charged
capacitor to allow it to discharge through the resistor.
o Keep the voltmeter connected across the capacitor to continue
measuring the voltage drop.
2. Discharging Process:
o As soon as the resistor is connected, start the stopwatch.
o Record the voltage across the capacitor at regular intervals (every
2 seconds) until the voltage nears zero.
3. Voltage-Time Table:
o Tabulate time and voltage values during the discharge to observe
the exponential decrease in voltage.

Observations:
To calculate the charging and discharging voltages for your parameters:
 R = 1 MΩ = 1×10^6Ω
 C = 100 µF = 100×10^−6F
 V₀ = 9 V
 Time constant, τ= R×C = (1×10^6) × (100×10^−6) = 100 seconds
Graph:
Plot of voltage v/s time. Time on x-axis and voltage on y-axis.
Calculations:
At τ=100 sec, 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= V₀ [1-e^(-t/RC)]
V= 9(1-e^-t/ τ)
V= 9(1- 1/e)
V= 9(1- 1 /2.71) = 5.67 ≈ 5.69 which is achieved experimentally as well.
Similarly, during discharging
i.e. V= V₀ e^(-t/RC)
V= 9(e^- t/ τ)
V= 9(e^-1)
V=9(1 /2.71) = 3.32 ≈ 3.30 which is achieved experimentally as well.
Conclusion:
• The capacitor voltage increased asymptotically toward 5V during charging.
• The voltage dropped exponentially toward 0V during discharging.
• This confirms the exponential nature as described in theory.
Result:
The experiment verified the exponential relationship between voltage and time
during both charging i.e. V= V₀ [1-e^(-t/RC)]
and discharging i.e. V= V₀ e^(-t/RC) of a capacitor in an RC circuit.
Precautions:
 Use a fresh capacitor; old ones may have leakage.
 Ensure connections are tight on the breadboard.
 Use a stopwatch with good accuracy.
 Discharge the capacitor fully before starting charging again.
Sources of error:
 Breadboards and wires introduce small unintended resistance and
capacitance, altering the actual circuit behaviour slightly.
 If the capacitor is not fully discharged before starting a new charging
trial, the results will be inaccurate.
 High temperatures, being an environmental factor, can affect the
resistance and capacitance values slightly, impacting the timing and
voltage readings.