What Happens When a Capacitor Charges Another Capacitor?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of capacitors when one charged capacitor discharges into another capacitor through a resistor. The original poster seeks to understand the voltage characteristics of the capacitors during this process, particularly whether they will have the same voltage across them once equilibrium is reached.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the implications of connecting capacitors in series and then considering their behavior as they reach equilibrium. Questions arise about the voltage distribution across the capacitors and the nature of their connection after charge distribution.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into the behavior of capacitors in series and parallel configurations, questioning how the system transitions from one state to another. There is an ongoing exploration of whether the capacitors can have different voltages once the charge has been distributed.

Contextual Notes

Participants are considering the initial conditions of the circuit and the assumptions about the behavior of capacitors in different configurations. There is a reference to external material for further context, indicating a desire for deeper understanding beyond basic concepts.

physicsboy1
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Hi there!

I have a problem that I would like explaining if possible (I like to go a bit beyond the GCSE course to get a deeper understanding of the topics!).

Basically if I had a charged capacitor Cx with a voltage Vo across it which is connected in series with another capacitor Cy and a resistor. The switch is closed so that Cx now discharges across Cy (causing Cy to charge up) and the resistor.

My question is what would the voltage graphs look like for both of the resistors, would they both end up with the same voltage across them (I know the shapes would be the the typical capacitor discharging for Cx and capacitor charging for Cy) or would they both have different voltages? I also think they would both store exactly the same charge once the system has come to equilibrium.

Anyone help me out?

btw here is the info I was looking at: http://web.mit.edu/viz/EM/visualizations/coursenotes/modules/guide05.pdf
 
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Once the charge is finished distributing, you have 2 caps in parallel with the resistor not counting, since no current is flowing at that time.

Can two caps in parallel have different voltages?
 
phinds said:
Once the charge is finished distributing, you have 2 caps in parallel with the resistor not counting, since no current is flowing at that time.

Can two caps in parallel have different voltages?

If everything is originally in series how does it become parallel when the charge has been distributed sorry?
 
physicsboy1 said:
If everything is originally in series how does it become parallel when the charge has been distributed sorry?

Draw two caps in a loop. You can say they are in series OR parallel, but the voltage will act like they are in parallel.
 

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