Am I Measuring the Current and Voltage Correctly in this Circuit?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on measuring current and voltage in a circuit with capacitors arranged in parallel and series. The original poster is uncertain about measuring current before the capacitors are fully charged, leading to questions about the circuit's configuration and the absence of resistors. Participants clarify that without resistors, the capacitors will charge instantly, causing current to cease immediately. They suggest that the task may involve finding the charge on each capacitor rather than the current. Ultimately, the poster confirms that it was an online exercise involving a drag-and-drop interface for circuit components.
ft92
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Homework Statement


Wire up a circuit with C3 in parallel with C1 and C2 in series. You will need to measure the current arriving at the capacitors (before they are fully charged) and the voltage across capacitor C2.

The Attempt at a Solution


I'm not sure if I'm measuring the current before the capacitors are fully charged. Can anyone help me?
thanks
 

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What are the component values? No resistors in the circuit? The capacitors will be charged instantly then.Are you sure you are asked to find the current and not the charge?
 
no, there are no resistor. that are all the instructions I have.
 
ft92 said:
no, there are no resistor. that are all the instructions I have.
Then I think you are asked to find the charge arriving on each capacitor. This is a dc circuit containing capacitors. Since there is no resistance involved, all the capacitors will be charged instantly,hence the current will cease instantly. You can find the charge in terms of C1, C2, C3 and voltage V.
 
ft92 said:
no, there are no resistor. that are all the instructions I have.
Is this in preparation for an actual experiment using wires, etc., or is this for a computer simulation, or is it some sort of thought exercise?

The typical meter is very limited in what it can reveal about a fast-changing current or voltage, other means may be needed.
 
ft92 said:
no, there are no resistor. that are all the instructions I have.

Is the page of text to the left of your sketch circuit related to the question? Perhaps you could post that?

Does your current meter have a "peak hold" feature?
 
thank you everybody but my draw was correct eventually :) It was just an online exercise where I had to drag and drop the capacitors and voltmeter in the right place.
 
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