Lab #22.

5 and Capacitance
Oscar Acevedo
Mr. Pappas
E3 Civic High
3-23-18

Abstract
This week, we conducted a lesson on capacitance. In this lab report, we show our understanding
on how a capacitor charges and discharges electrons.

Introduction
We use e in our equation for electrons because natural growth and decay relate to ​elections
growth. We add capacitance by increasing the surface area because elections take more time to
fill a larger area compared to a smaller one. When we add resistance, the slope becomes more
gradual because the elections slow down. We use the equations V = V o (1 − e−t/RC ) and
V = V o (e−t/RC ) for electrons because V​o is
​ a multiple that controls the rate and RC controls the
curve.

Also, if t = RC, we would expect the voltage to be

36.8% of V​o​.

Data and Observations

Volt 8.5v 8v 7v 6v 5v 4v 3v 2v 1v 0.5v 0.25v

Time 0s 0.5s 2.08s 3.19s 4.64s 6.7s 9.7s 13.56s 19.2s 24.72s 37.09s
GRAPH 1:

Points plotted on a graph

Equation of line of best fit: y = 8.5e ^ (-x/8.9)
RC = 8.9
8.5(.368) = 3.1
GRAPH 2:

8.977 = RC (C = 470)
8.977 = 470R
R = 0.0191

Analysis and Results

1. Solve for the inherent resistance of the capacitor due to leakage:
Looking at the work about, we found R = 0.0191 ohms
2. Plot the theoretical equation for voltage and compare it to the graphed curved & (3.) Check the
slope for the theoretical and actual change in voltage over time (dv/dt)
We found that our plotted points and our equation match well. For both graphs, the
derivative should be e^-1/RC. They both were similar.
3. Explain any discrepancies
We see that there are some points were it does not match the line. We think that those
points were caused by human error. Such as not getting the exact timing

Conclusion
In this lab, we learn that capacitor charging and discharging is related to natural growth. We
collected data of discharging capacitors by measuring the voltage and timing each time they
would drop every 1 volt. We plotted that data into desmos and found the line of best fit. With our
equation, we are able to find the value of the resistance. We see capacitors being used in almost
all the electronics we use.