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A simple DC circuit!
This one is designed to show how a Capacitor behaves in a DC circuit!
When the switch is thrown (closed), the capacitor begins to charge.
Note the brief voltage increase across the capacitor. If you slow the simulation down (using the clock), you can see that the capacitor voltage starts at zero and gradually rises, approaching the circuit’s Thevenin voltage as the capacitor stores energy in its electric field.
Simultaneously, note that the current through the capacitor is initially at its maximum value and then steadily decreases as the voltage across the capacitor increases. In steady state, the capacitor voltage remains constant and the current drops to zero, as the capacitor is fully charged.
Note similar behavior when the switch is opened, except the capacitor discharges through the resistor. The voltage across the capacitor decreases exponentially toward zero, while the current flows in the opposite direction and also approaches zero.
The rate at which these changes occur is governed by the time constant,
τ = R · C.
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