Can You Calculate Resistance If You Know the Half-Life of a Capacitor?

[-EquinoX-]

Homework Statement

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8553/halflifei.th.jpg

I need to find the half life time of a capacitor and the equation is above.. I know what C is but I don't know R.. is there a way to calculate R in this case?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 

[LowlyPion]

Homework Statement

I need to find the half life time of a capacitor and the equation is above.. I know what C is but I don't know R.. is there a way to calculate R in this case?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

Unfortunately you need RC to determine time. With a tiny resistance it will be smaller than with a larger resistance. Without more information, you can only determine t in terms of R.

 

[nlightner]

The half life of a capacitor is a concept used to describe the time it takes for a capacitor to discharge to half of its initial charge. It is not a physical property of the capacitor itself, but rather a measure of its behavior in a circuit.

To calculate the half life of a capacitor, you will need to know the capacitance (C) and the resistance (R) in the circuit. The equation shown in the image is a basic equation for the charging and discharging of a capacitor in a circuit. It can be rearranged to solve for R:

R = (t/0.693)*C

Where t is the half life time and 0.693 is the natural logarithm of 2.

If you do not know the value of R, you can use this equation to solve for it by measuring the half life time of the capacitor in a circuit. However, keep in mind that the actual half life time of a capacitor can vary depending on factors such as temperature, aging, and manufacturing variances.

It is also important to note that this equation assumes an ideal capacitor and circuit, and may not accurately represent the behavior of a real-world capacitor. Additionally, the half life time of a capacitor may not be a useful measure in all circuits, as it depends on the specific application and circuit design.

In summary, to calculate the half life time of a capacitor, you will need to know the capacitance and resistance in the circuit, and use the equation provided in the image to solve for R. However, it is important to consider the limitations and assumptions of this calculation and how it applies to your specific circuit.