Through a resistor, capacitor voltage approaches the supply exponentially. As the capacitor fills, the voltage across the resistor and charging current decrease.
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SUPPLY5.00 V
CURRENT1.06 mA
OUTPUT0.00 V
TIME0.00 s
Live curve
Calculated outputSource waveformMarker = current time
At one time constant, charging reaches approximately…
Capacitors · FIELD NOTES
Understanding rc charging
Through a resistor, capacitor voltage approaches the supply exponentially. As the capacitor fills, the voltage across the resistor and charging current decrease.
1. Set up the experiment
Reset the capacitor, start charging, then vary resistance or capacitance. Compare the time to reach about 63% of the supply.
2. Connect the result to the equation
V_C(t) = V_s(1 − e^(−t/RC))
Change one parameter at a time and keep the others fixed. Read the signed output and current, then use the curve to distinguish a steady relationship from a changing transient.
Initial supply
5.00 V
Initial current
1.064 mA
Initial output
0.000 V
3. Notice the limits
The time constant τ=RC is not the time for exact completion. At five time constants an ideal capacitor reaches about 99.3% of its final voltage.
Circuit reference diagram
Continue this learning path
Why it’s here
Electronics 101 makes a component change visible: an altered resistance changes a current, a capacitor changes a delay, and a sensor changes a decision. The course guide links each concept to its experiment.
Open Ohm’s law and predict the effect of doubling the voltage.
Change the control and compare the ammeter, curve and equation.
Try RC charging and use the time constant to explain the curve.
Return to the course guide to choose the next experiment.
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Can I use every experiment on NavSprout?
Yes. The course guides and workbenches run on NavSprout.
Are these circuit simulations exact?
They are analytic teaching models: ideal sources and switches, fixed diode drops, simple BJT gain and saturation, exponential RC behavior, and illustrative sensor curves. They are not a SPICE solver or construction verification.
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Which current direction is shown?
Moving markers represent conventional current, not electron drift. Their motion is illustrative and is not a measurement of charge velocity.
Model references and scope
Original NavSprout lessons use standard lumped-circuit relationships and explicitly simplified component models. Diagrams explain teaching topologies, while the breadboard probe explains socket continuity. The workbench is not a verified physical assembly plan.
