5F30.10 • RC Circuits: Capacitor and a Light Bulb

Photo Shows the Demonstration Used by the University of Texas at Austin.

Instructions / Notes:

• Included is a simple RC circuit, with a light bulb, 1 farad capacitor & a 6 volt battery.
• The light bulb acts as both a resistor and a current indicator.
• The bulb will glow brightly only at the start of the charging or discharging curve.
• Note: A multimeter is included with the demonstration to view the actual voltage across the capacitor. (See second photo.)
• Suggestion: Use a goose neck video camera for better viewing.
• This is a good introductory demo to accomapny our RC Constant on a Scope demonstration.

Last updated on August 30, 2017