What is the current through Resistor on RC circuit

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around an RC circuit problem involving a capacitor and two resistors. The original poster seeks to determine the current through the resistors immediately after closing a switch and after a long time has passed, given specific values for capacitance and resistance.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the current through R1 and R2 using Ohm's law, while questioning the relevance of the capacitance in the long-term scenario. Other participants inquire about the format of the answer and share experiences related to calculation errors.

Discussion Status

The discussion includes attempts to clarify the calculations for both parts of the problem. Some guidance has been offered regarding the correctness of the initial calculation, while the relevance of the capacitor in the long-term current flow remains a point of exploration.

Contextual Notes

The original poster expresses uncertainty about the significance of the capacitance in the context of the problem, indicating a potential area for further clarification or exploration.

MeMoses
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Homework Statement



The diagram below depicts an RC-circuit where C = 1.70 μF, R1 = 18.0 Ω, R2 = 10.0 Ω, and V0 = 2.0 V.
a.) What is the current through R1 immediately after the switch S is closed?
b.) What is the current through R2 after the switch S has been closed for a very long time? Assume that the battery does not go dead.

Homework Equations


I=E/R


The Attempt at a Solution


I got part A. I divided 2V by 18Ω to get 0.111A which is correct. I know when the switch is initially closed current flows through the capacitor and when it is charge current no longer flows through. I figured part B you would just find the current through 2/(18+10)=0.0714 which turned out incorrect so I'm not sure what to try next. Also I don't think the capacitance is relevant, so I hope I'm not wrong there. Any help would be great
 

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Your method and current value looks correct. Do they want any particular units, notation, or significant figures in the answer format?
 
It looks like I forgot to enter the 0 after the decimal. Well, that's embarassing
 
MeMoses said:
It looks like I forgot to enter the 0 after the decimal. Well, that's embarassing

Been there, done that :smile:
 

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