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Jzhang27143
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Homework Statement
The circuit in the link below contains a capacitor of capacitance C, a power supply of emf E, two resistors of resistances R1 and R2, and two switches S1 and S2. After switch S1 has been closed for a long time, switch S2 gets closed at a time t = 0. Sketch graphs of the current I1 in R1 and I2 in R2 versus time.
The problem is part d in the link below.
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/_ap06_frq_physicsc_em_51784.pdf
The rubric is here: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/_ap06_physicsc_em_sg.pdf
Homework Equations
E = IR
The Attempt at a Solution
My initial reaction was to say that before t = 0, there is no current in the circuit because there is maximum voltage across the capacitor. At t = 0, there is a path for current to flow so that the current in R2 and R1 would jump to E/(R1+R2) and stay constant. However, the scoring rubric says otherwise. My guess is that the capacitor discharges, but then the capacitor would lose its potential difference, and current would flow through the capacitor so the current would oscillate. What is the correct explanation?