How rc charge & discharge works
The capacitor voltage approaches the final source voltage exponentially. After one time constant it has completed about 63.2% of the change; after five time constants it is within about 0.67% of the final value. Set the final voltage to zero and a nonzero initial voltage to explore discharge.
Ideal resistor and capacitor. The guest circuit uses the capacitor’s user-defined initial voltage; negative current means discharge.
Change the form inputs or click a component value on the schematic. Choose Try in CircuitSim to simulate the configured circuit.