When is the potential difference across a capacitor an emf?
Only when the current being drawn from or put into the capacitor is zero. Capacitors, like batteries, have internal resistance, so their output voltage is not an emf unless current is zero. This is difficult to measure in practice so we refer to a capacitor’s voltage rather than its emf. But the source of potential difference in a capacitor is fundamental and it is an emf.
Phet explorations: circuit construction kit (dc only)
An electronics kit in your computer! Build circuits with resistors, light bulbs, batteries, and switches. Take measurements with the realistic ammeter and voltmeter. View the circuit as a schematic diagram, or switch to a life-like view.
Section summary
An
circuit is one that has both a resistor and a capacitor.
The time constant
for an
circuit is
.
When an initially uncharged (
at
) capacitor in series with a resistor is charged by a DC voltage source, the voltage rises, asymptotically approaching the emf of the voltage source; as a function of time,
Within the span of each time constant
, the voltage rises by 0.632 of the remaining value, approaching the final voltage asymptotically.
If a capacitor with an initial voltage
is discharged through a resistor starting at
, then its voltage decreases exponentially as given by
In each time constant
, the voltage falls by 0.368 of its remaining initial value, approaching zero asymptotically.
Conceptual questions
Regarding the units involved in the relationship
, verify that the units of resistance times capacitance are time, that is,
.
The
time constant in heart defibrillation is crucial to limiting the time the current flows. If the capacitance in the defibrillation unit is fixed, how would you manipulate resistance in the circuit to adjust the
constant
? Would an adjustment of the applied voltage also be needed to ensure that the current delivered has an appropriate value?
When making an ECG measurement, it is important to measure voltage variations over small time intervals. The time is limited by the
constant of the circuit—it is not possible to measure time variations shorter than
. How would you manipulate
and
in the circuit to allow the necessary measurements?
Draw two graphs of charge versus time on a capacitor. Draw one for charging an initially uncharged capacitor in series with a resistor, as in the circuit in
[link] , starting from
. Draw the other for discharging a capacitor through a resistor, as in the circuit in
[link] , starting at
, with an initial charge
. Show at least two intervals of
.
When charging a capacitor, as discussed in conjunction with
[link] , how long does it take for the voltage on the capacitor to reach emf? Is this a problem?
When discharging a capacitor, as discussed in conjunction with
[link] , how long does it take for the voltage on the capacitor to reach zero? Is this a problem?
Referring to
[link] , draw a graph of potential difference across the resistor versus time, showing at least two intervals of
. Also draw a graph of current versus time for this situation.
A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
A mouse of mass 200 g falls 100 m down a vertical mine shaft and lands at the bottom with a speed of 8.0 m/s. During its fall, how much work is done on the mouse by air resistance
Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
Adjei
please, I'm a physics student and I need help in physics
Adjanou
chemistry could also be understood like the sexual attraction/repulsion of the male and female elements. the reaction varies depending on the energy differences of each given gender. + masculine -female.
Pedro
A ball is thrown straight up.it passes a 2.0m high window 7.50 m off the ground on it path up and takes 1.30 s to go past the window.what was the ball initial velocity
2. A sled plus passenger with total mass 50 kg is pulled 20 m across the snow (0.20) at constant velocity by a force directed 25° above the horizontal. Calculate (a) the work of the applied force, (b) the work of friction, and (c) the total work.
you have been hired as an espert witness in a court case involving an automobile accident. the accident involved car A of mass 1500kg which crashed into stationary car B of mass 1100kg. the driver of car A applied his brakes 15 m before he skidded and crashed into car B. after the collision, car A s
can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
Joseph
"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?