Principle

A capacitor is charged by way of a resistor. The current is measured as a function of time and the effects of capacitance, resistance and the voltage applied are determined.

Benefits

• Simple and very clear set-up: only few components required
• Cost savings: Xpert-Link provides all subsidiary functions (power supply, switch, trigger)
• Extra experiment included: "Switch-on behaviour of a coil"
• Simplified implementation: all pre-settings already prepared
• Further experiments in electricity and electronics can be performed with the equipment

 Tasks

To measure the charging current over time:

• using different capacitance values C, with constant voltage U and constant resistance R
• using different resistance values (C and U constant)
• using different voltages (R and C constant)

To determine the equation representing the current when a capacitor is being charged, from the values measured.

 What you can learn about

• Charging
• Discharging
• Inductance
• Time constant
• Exponential function
• Half-life

Operating system-independent software included. Computer not provided.