Concepts

Charging and discharging of a capacitor

Overview

Immediately after the capacitor is connected to the battery, the light bulb will glow as current flows through the light bulb and the capacitor is charging. After some time, the capacitor is fully charged and the light bulb is no longer glowing. When the switch is turned, the capacitor is discharged and the bulb starts to glow again until the capacitor loses all of its stored energy and the current in the circuit is not sufficient to heat up the filament of the bulb.

Details

Equipment

• [1] 6 V lantern battery
• [1] SPDT switch
• [1] 155,000 μF capacitor
• [1] Small light bulb
• [5] Banana cable
• [2] Alligator clip

Classroom Assembly

1. Place the components of the circuit on the table.
2. Build the circuit as shown on the diagram.

Important Notes

• Ensure the circuit components are properly attached before connecting the battery

Script

1. Turn the switch to connect the capacitor to a battery and start the charging cycle.
2. Wait for some time after the light bulb is turned off to make sure that the capacitor is fully charged.
3. Turn the switch to start the discharging cycle.
4. Disconnect the battery.

Additional Resources