Energy stored in a capacitor graph

In summary, the graph of energy stored in a capacitor while charging and discharging would show an exponential decay for discharging, with the formula V*(1-e^-(t/rc)). For charging, the graph would show a similar shape as the voltage/time graph, with the formula V*(1-e^-(t/rc)). The time constant, or tau, can be calculated using the resistance and capacitance values. For example, if R=1k ohm and C=1 uF, the time constant would be 1 millisecond, meaning the capacitor would be about 63.2% charged after 1 millisecond of charging. The graph would show the relationship between energy and time, similar to the graphs for voltage, charge
  • #1
nokia8650
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What would a graph of Energy stored in a capacitor whilst charging and discharging a capacitor against time look like?

Would the graph of Energy stored vs. time whilst charging have the same shape as the Voltage/time graph?

For discharging, would it be exponential decay?

Thanks
 
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  • #2
It seems to me you'll need a formula for energy versus voltage and capacitance. I wonder where you could find that.
 
  • #3
Thanks for the reply. E=0.5QV. This doesn't relate the energy to time, however.

Thanks
 
  • #4
For a charging capacitor the formula is V*(1-e^-(t/rc)) where V is the supply voltage used for charging, e is the number e, about 2.71, t is the charging time and rc is the charging resistance times the capacitance. RC is often called the time constant or tau.

For instance if R=1k ohm and C=1 uF, the time constant would be 1k * 1u or .001 seconds. This means that if you charged that capacitor for 1 millisecond it would be 1-e^-(.001/.001) or 1 - e^-1 or about 63.2% charged. Multiply that by the charging voltage to get the charged voltage.
 
  • #5
Thanks a lot for the reply. So what would graphs of ENERGY vs. time look like? I am aware of the case for Voltage, charge and current.

Thanks
 

1. What is a capacitor?

A capacitor is an electronic component that is used to store and release electrical energy. It consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material, known as a dielectric.

2. How does energy get stored in a capacitor?

When a capacitor is connected to a power source, one plate becomes positively charged and the other plate becomes negatively charged. This creates an electric field between the plates, storing energy in the form of electrostatic potential energy.

3. What does the energy stored in a capacitor graph represent?

The energy stored in a capacitor graph represents the relationship between the voltage and the stored energy in a capacitor. As the voltage increases, so does the stored energy, and vice versa.

4. What is the shape of the energy stored in a capacitor graph?

The shape of the energy stored in a capacitor graph is a parabola. This is because the energy stored is directly proportional to the square of the voltage.

5. How can the energy stored in a capacitor be calculated from the graph?

The energy stored in a capacitor can be calculated by finding the area under the curve on the graph. This can be done using calculus or by approximating with rectangles and calculating the sum of their areas.

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