Free AP Physics C lesson

Charging & Discharging

This AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism lesson is designed for AP Physics C self-study. It includes 3 video lessons, 5 practice questions, and an estimated completion time of 25 minutes.

Video lessons

  1. RC Circuits - Charging

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  2. RC Circuits - Discharging

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  3. The Time Constant in an RC Circuit

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Practice covered

  1. When a capacitor charges through a resistor in an RC circuit, the charge Q(t) on the capacitor as a function of time is:
  2. An RC circuit has R = 100 kΩ and C = 50 μF. Calculate the time constant tau (in seconds).
  3. When a charged capacitor discharges through a resistor, the charge Q(t) decreases according to:
  4. A capacitor initially charged to 12 V discharges through a circuit with time constant 2.0 s. Calculate the voltage (in volts) after 4.0 s. (Use e^-2 approx 0.135)
  5. The time constant tau = RC in an RC circuit represents:
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