1 uF Capacitor discharging into a 2uF capacitor

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem involving a 1 uF capacitor discharging into a 2 uF capacitor through a 100 Ohm resistor. Participants are exploring the voltage behavior across each capacitor over time after the switch is closed, focusing on the implications of the unequal capacitor values and the resulting time constants.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the setup involving a charged 1 uF capacitor and a discharged 2 uF capacitor, expressing difficulty in reasoning through the problem.
  • Another participant points out that the capacitors are not in parallel due to the presence of a resistor, which affects their connection and the analysis of the circuit.
  • There is a request for a circuit diagram to better understand the configuration and assist with the analysis.
  • A participant acknowledges a mistake in the previous post and commits to providing a schematic and details of their work later.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants have not reached a consensus, as there are differing views on the circuit configuration and the implications of the resistor's presence on the analysis of the capacitors.

Contextual Notes

There is a lack of clarity regarding the assumptions made about the circuit configuration, particularly how the resistor influences the connection between the capacitors. The discussion also indicates that participants are still in the process of formulating their approaches and understanding the problem.

Lefty806
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This is a variant of the classic capacitor discharging into a capacitor problem and I’m having some trouble reasoning it out to my satisfaction…

2 parallel capacitors (one 1 uF and one 2uF) with a switch and a 100 Ohm resistor between them. The 1 uF capacitor is charged to 100V and the 2 uF capacitor is discharged. I’m trying to draw plots of the voltage across each capacitor vs. time after the switch closes. I feel a bit stuck on the math for the unequal capacitor values and the impact on the time constants and voltage levels, but maybe I’m just over-thinking it. Thanks in advance for any insight.
 
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Lefty806 said:
This is a variant of the classic capacitor discharging into a capacitor problem and I’m having some trouble reasoning it out to my satisfaction…

2 parallel capacitors (one 1 uF and one 2uF) with a switch and a 100 Ohm resistor between them. The 1 uF capacitor is charged to 100V and the 2 uF capacitor is discharged. I’m trying to draw plots of the voltage across each capacitor vs. time after the switch closes. I feel a bit stuck on the math for the unequal capacitor values and the impact on the time constants and voltage levels, but maybe I’m just over-thinking it. Thanks in advance for any insight.

Hi Lefty806, welcome to PF.

You'll have to show the details of your current attempt(s) in order for us to see how to help you.

EDIT: To start with, note that the capacitors are NOT actually in parallel since there is a resistor between one of the pairs of capacitor leads -- the capacitors are not actually connected to each other at both ends.
 
Can you show your circuit diagram
 
Thanks for already replying. I will post what.
 
Sorry, mobile website mistake on my part...
I will post what I can in regards to previous work and a schematic as soon as I can. Couple hours or so.
 

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