Capacitor Charge and Discharge Lab for A Level Physics
Watch individual electron-transfer events as a capacitor charges and discharges, then open focused live graphs of charge, potential difference and current.
Learning guide and suggested activities
What this tool shows
How electron-transfer events slow during charging and discharging
Why electrons move through conductors but not across the dielectric gap
How switching to discharge preserves the capacitor charge already stored
The 63.2% and 36.8% meanings of one time constant
How resistance and capacitance set the RC time scale
OCR A relevance
Module 6: Capacitors
RC circuits
Exponential equations
AQA relevance
AQA 7408 section 3.7.4: Capacitance
Energy stored by a capacitor
Capacitor charge and discharge graphs
Time constant RC and time to halve
Try these tasks
Set t = RC and compare the charging and discharging percentages.
Double R. Explain the changes to RC and initial current.
Find the time at which a discharge reaches half its initial charge.
Halve capacitor p.d. and compare the new stored energy.