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Dicharging a Capacitor

1,660 bytes added, 22 May
Created page with "==Key Stage 5== ===Meaning=== Capacitor discharge is the process of releasing the stored energy in a capacitor through a Electrical Circui..."
==Key Stage 5==
===Meaning===
[[Dicharging a Capacitor|Capacitor discharge]] is the process of releasing the stored [[energy]] in a [[capacitor]] through a [[Electrical Circuit|circuit]].

===About Capacitor Discharge===

*The [[Potential Difference|voltage]] and [[Electrical Current|current]] also decrease [[Exponential Decay|exponentially]] during '''discharge'''.
*The [[Time Constant|time constant]] determines how quickly a [[capacitor]] '''discharges'''.
*A large [[time]] constant means a slow discharge, while a small [[time]] constant means a rapid discharge.
*[[Capacitor]] '''discharge''' curves are used to analyze the behaviour of RC circuits.
*Safety precautions are necessary when '''discharging''' large [[capacitor]]s to avoid [[Electrical Shock|electric shock]].

===Formula===
The discharge through a [[resistor]] follows an [[Exponential Decay|exponential decay]] described by the formula:

: <maths>𝑄=𝑄_0𝑒^{−𝑡/𝑅𝐶}</math>

Where:

𝑄 is the [[Electrical Charge|charge]] stored,

𝑄<sub>0</sub> is the initial [[Electrical Charge|charge]] stored,

𝑅 is the [[Electrical Resistance|resistance]] in the [[Electrical Circuit|circuit]],

𝐶 is the [[capacitance]] of the [[capacitor]]

and

𝑡 is [[time]]

A [[capacitor]]'s rate of '''discharge''' in a [[Electrical Circuit|circuit]] is characterised by the [[Capacitor Time Constant|time constant]] 𝜏 which is given by the formula:

: 𝜏 = 𝑅𝐶

===Examples===

In a [[defibrillator]], the capacitor discharges its energy quickly to deliver a shock to a patient's heart.
In RC timing circuits, capacitors discharge to control the timing intervals.