Question

Which of the following determines the length of time required for a capacitor to reach full charge in an RC circuit?

Option 1: The resistance (R) in the circuit
Option 2: The voltage source used to charge the capacitor
Option 3: The capacitance (C) of the capacitor
Option 4: The frequency of the input signal supplied to the circuit

Answer 1

The time required for a capacitor to fully charge in an RC circuit is determined by the circuit's resistance and the capacitor's capacitance, described by the time constant τ = RC.

Step-by-step explanation:

The length of time required for a capacitor to reach full charge in an RC circuit is determined by the resistance (R) in the circuit and the capacitance (C) of the capacitor. The voltage source used to charge the capacitor and the frequency of the input signal do not determine the charge time. When charging, the time constant τ for the RC circuit is τ = RC, which is the product of the resistance and the capacitance in the circuit. This time constant characterizes how quickly the capacitor will approach its maximum charge; it typically takes about 5τ for the capacitor to be considered fully charged.