Which of the following pairs of graphs shows the variation of the current I in

Addu High School DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY the resistor with time t and the variation of charge Q stored on the capacitor
Hithadhoo/Addu PHYSICS with t?

TOPIC: Capacitors Revision Worksheet

1. An uncharged capacitor is connected in series with a battery and a
resistor. Which of the following graphs shows the variation of current I
with time t as the capacitor charges?

2. A 4.0 μF capacitor discharges through a 560 kΩ resistor.

What is the time constant of the circuit?
A 2.2 × 10–3 s
B 4.5 × 10–1 s
C 2.2 × 100 s
D 4.5 × 102 s 4. The unit for capacitance is the farad. The farad can also be written as
3. The following circuit is used to charge a capacitor.

Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 1

 (ii) Show that the time constant of the circuit is about 1 s. (3)
5. A capacitor was charged to a potential difference (p.d.) of 12.0 V and .............................................................................................................................
then discharged through a 220 kΩ resistor. A data logger recorded the
p.d. across the capacitor. The graph shows how the p.d. varied with .............................................................................................................................
time. .............................................................................................................................
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(iii) Calculate the capacitance C of the capacitor. (2)
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(a) Explain why using a data logger to record the p.d. and time is more
appropriate than a person using a voltmeter and stopwatch. (3) 6. A student is investigating how the potential difference across a capacitor

............................................................................................................................. varies with time as the capacitor is charging.

He uses a 100µF capacitor, a 5.0 V dc supply, a resistor, a voltmeter and
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a switch.
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(a) (i) Draw a diagram of the circuit he should use. (2)
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(b) The time constant T of the circuit is given by the equation T = RC
(i) Show that T has units of seconds. (2)
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Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 2

 (ii) Suggest why a voltage sensor connected to a data logger might be
a suitable instrument for measuring the potential difference across the
capacitor in this investigation. (1)

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(b) Calculate the maximum charge stored on the capacitor (2)

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(c) The graph shows how the potential difference across the capacitor
varies with time as the capacitor is charging.
(i) Estimate the average charging current over the first 10 ms. (2)

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(ii) Use the graph to estimate the initial rate of increase of potential
difference across the capacitor and hence find the initial charging current.
(3)

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Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 3

 ………………………………………………………………………………………. .............................................................................................................................
(iii) Use the value of the initial charging current to find the resistance of .............................................................................................................................
the resistor. (2) .............................................................................................................................
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7. A flash bulb for a camera must transfer a lot of energy in a very short ...........................................................................................................................
time. This requires a higher potential difference (p.d.) than can be (ii) Explain why the diode must be included in this circuit. (2)
provided by a 1.5 V cell. A capacitor is used that can be charged to a .............................................................................................................................
p.d. over 300 V. .............................................................................................................................
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The diagram represents a simplified circuit for a camera flash unit.
(b) The capacitor is charged until the p.d. across it reaches 330 V.
(i) Calculate the charge on the capacitor when the p.d. reaches 330 V.
capacitance of capacitor = 180 µF (2)
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Direct current from the cell is converted to alternating current by this ...........................................................................................................................
converter. The transformer increases the p.d. and the capacitor is charged.
When the flash is required, the capacitor is connected in series with the (ii) Calculate the energy stored by the capacitor. (2)
bulb, which then flashes briefly. .............................................................................................................................
(a) The transformer consists of two coils wound around a common iron core.
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One coil is connected in series with the converter. The second coil is
connected to the capacitor circuit. .............................................................................................................................
(i) Explain how this arrangement creates a current in the capacitor charging
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circuit. (4)
Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 4
 (iii) The graph shows how the p.d. across the capacitor varies with time .............................................................................................................................
as the capacitor discharges. .............................................................................................................................

8. A capacitor is charged by a battery as shown in the circuit diagram.

(a) Calculate the e.m.f. of the battery and the energy stored in the charged
1. Calculate the initial current in the capacitor circuit as the capacitor
capacitor. (4)
discharges. (4)
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(b) The capacitor is disconnected from the battery and discharged through a
2. Determine the time taken for the energy stored on the capacitor to
20 MΩ resistor. Calculate the time taken for 80% of the charge on the
reduce by 80%. (4)
capacitor to discharge through the resistor. (3)
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Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 5

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(c) Use an equation to explain whether the time taken for the capacitor to .............................................................................................................................
lose half its energy is greater or less than the time taken to lose half its .............................................................................................................................
charge. (3) ............................................................................................................................
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............................................................................................................................. (ii) The circuit shows how a capacitor could be charged and then
............................................................................................................................. discharged through the coil to provide the current.
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(d) A student carries out an experiment to record data so that she can plot a
graph of potential difference against time as the capacitor discharges. The circuit contains a capacitor of capacitance 600 μF. This capacitor is
State two advantages of using a datalogger rather than a voltmeter and suitable to provide the current for 1.4 × 10–3 s.
stopwatch to record this data. (2) Explain why the capacitor is suitable. (3)
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9. A particular experiment requires a very large current to be provided for (b) It can be assumed that the 600 μF capacitor completely discharges in 1.4
a short time. × 10–3 s.
3
(a) An average current of 2.0 × 10 A is to be supplied to a coil of wire for a (i) Calculate the potential difference of the power supply. (2)
time of 1.4 × 10–3 s. The resistance of the coil is 0.50 Ω.
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(i) Show that the charge that flows through the coil during this time is
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about 3 C. (2)
Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 6
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(ii) Calculate the average power delivered to the coil in this time. (3)
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(i) Determine the capacitance of the capacitor. (3)
10. A student is investigating capacitance. She sets up the circuit shown.
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(ii) Hence determine the energy stored by the capacitor when it is fully
charged. (2)
(a) When the switch is closed there is a maximum current, which
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decreases to zero over a period of time as the capacitor charges.
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Explain why. (3) .............................................................................................................................
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......................................................................................................................... (c) Capacitance can also be determined by measuring the current I at
......................................................................................................................... regular time intervals, as a capacitor discharges through a resistor, and

......................................................................................................................... plotting a graph of ln I against time.

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(b) The student discharged the capacitor. She set the variable resistor to its
maximum resistance and closed the switch. As the capacitor charged,
the student decreased the resistance of the variable resistor so that the
current remained constant until the capacitor was fully charged.
A graph of current against time is shown.

Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 7

(i) Explain how capacitance can be determined using this graph. (3)
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Addu high school/Dept of Science/Physics/unit 4/work sheet / Capacitors 8