In this chapter, we are going to learn how to measure the time it takes for a capacitor to charge. Once we learn this, we can use capacitors for timers—both for delaying a signal and for creating an oscillating circuit.
17.1 Time Constants
As we learned in Chapter 16, when a voltage is applied to a capacitor, it will store energy by storing a charge on its plates, the amount of charge being based on the voltage supplied and the capacitance of the capacitor (see Equation 16.1).
The cases we examined in Chapter 16 generally had the battery connected directly to the capacitor. In such cases, ...
