Answer: Calculating Time to Discharge Capacitor Rated x Micro-Farads

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the time it takes to completely discharge a capacitor rated at a specific capacitance when it is charged to a certain voltage and discharged by a constant current. The focus includes theoretical aspects of capacitor discharge behavior.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested, Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the method to calculate the discharge time for a capacitor rated at 1014 micro-Farads charged to 179V and discharged at a constant current of 163 microA.
  • Another participant suggests that the discharge follows an exponential decay function.
  • A different participant challenges this by stating that discharging with a constant current results in a linear voltage decay rather than exponential.
  • Questions are raised regarding the specifics of how the capacitor reached 179V initially and the nature of the discharge process.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the discharge voltage decay is exponential or linear, indicating a lack of consensus on the behavior of the capacitor during discharge.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not clarify the assumptions regarding the discharge conditions or the initial charging process of the capacitor, leaving some aspects unresolved.

James889
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Hi,

If i have a capacitor rated x micro-Farads. And i know that it is charged to a certain voltage.
And it's being discharged by a current. How would i find the time it takes to completely discharge the capacitor?
 
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okay so it's an exponential decay type of function?
I suspect this is really easy. I have that the capacitor is rated at 1014[tex]\mu[/tex] farads
and that it is charged to 179V, and is being discharged at a constant rate of 163[tex]\mu[/tex]A
 
Last edited:
James889 said:
okay so it's an exponential decay type of function?
I suspect this is really easy. I have that the capacitor is rated at 1014[tex]\mu[/tex] farads
and that it is charged to 179V, and is being discharged at a constant rate of 163[tex]\mu[/tex]A

If you are discharging with a constant current, the voltage decay is not exponential, it is linear.

How exactly is this capacitor being discharged? How did it get to 179V in the first place?
 
Hmm, sorry. I just discovered i posted in the wrong forums.
Forgive me...
 
James889 said:
Hmm, sorry. I just discovered i posted in the wrong forums.
Forgive me...

No worries. Do you want me to move the thread to the Homework Help forums?
 

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