Necessity to discharge capacitors in circuits

[BluFoot]

Homework Statement

1. Is it necessary to discharge the capacitors before starting the experiment in series? Why?

2. Is it necessary to discharge before starting the experiment in parallel? Why?

The attempt at a solution

For the first one, we connected 3 capacitors in series, and the second one we connected them in parallel.

This is what I've written in my report so far:

1. Yes it is. In series, all capacitors have a different voltage. If not discharged properly, the capacitors may have accumulated charge stored in them. This charge could be added to the current already flowing thought the circuit, thus tampering with the voltages.

2. It is not necessary to discharge a capacitor in parallel. Contrarily to capacitors in series, capacitors in parallel all have the same voltage. Therefore, even if charge accumulates, the voltage measured shouldn’t be affected.

Does that make sense?

 

[phinds]

since you give no description of the experiment, one can randomly choose and answer and then create a condition under which it would be correct.

If you want a helpful answer, give a helpful question. Just saying parallel and series is meaningless without knowing WHERE the elements are and what other elements are in the circuit.

 

[BluFoot]

since you give no description of the experiment, one can randomly choose and answer and then create a condition under which it would be correct.

If you want a helpful answer, give a helpful question. Just saying parallel and series is meaningless without knowing WHERE the elements are and what other elements are in the circuit.

Sorry, there was a 7V battery connected that had a wire going to the 3 capacitors, which connected to a switch then back to the battery. We were told to discharge the capacitors by simply taking a wire and putting one end on the positive side of the capacitor and the other on the negative side, allowing the charge to flow through and eliminating the remaining charge.

 

[phinds]

both experiments would have different results depending on whether or not you discharged the caps first, so I'd say yes, to get consitent results you should in both cases discharge first.

 

[asteriatic]

Yes, your explanation is correct. It is necessary to discharge capacitors in series before starting the experiment because in a series circuit, the voltage across each capacitor is different. If they are not discharged, the accumulated charge in each capacitor can affect the overall voltage and current in the circuit, leading to inaccurate results. However, in a parallel circuit, the voltage across each capacitor is the same, so there is no need to discharge them before starting the experiment. The voltage and current will remain the same even if there is accumulated charge in the capacitors. Discharging the capacitors in a parallel circuit may also disrupt the experiment and lead to unnecessary delays.