Calculating RC & LC Time Constants: Series vs. Parallel

[FrankJ777]

How does the relative position(series or parallel) of a resistor affect the calculation of the RC and LC time constants. In other words is a RC time constant still R$$\times$$C requardless of whether or not R and C are parallel or if R and C are in series. Same question with LC time constants, is it $$L/R$$ whether or not L and R are in series or parallel to each other. Thats how it looks in my textbook when they derive the time constant, it does seem conterintuitive to me though.

Thanks a lot.

 

[dlgoff]

The parallel RC circuit is generally of less interest than the series circuit. This is largely because the output voltage Vout is equal to the input voltage Vin ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RC_circuit#Parallel_circuit"