When a capacitor is discharged, the current will be highest at the start. This will gradually decrease until reaching 0, when the current reaches zero, the capacitor is fully discharged as there is no charge stored across it. The rate of decrease of the potential difference and the charge will again be proportional to the value of the current.
Capacitor Discharge Graph: The capacitor discharge graph shows the exponential decay of voltage and current over time, eventually reaching zero. What is Discharging a Capacitor? Discharging a capacitor means releasing the stored electrical charge. Let’s look at an example of how a capacitor discharges.
Discharging a Capacitor Definition: Discharging a capacitor is defined as releasing the stored electrical charge within the capacitor. Circuit Setup: A charged capacitor is connected in series with a resistor, and the circuit is short-circuited by a switch to start discharging.
Conversely, a smaller capacitance value leads to a quicker discharge, since the capacitor can't hold as much charge, and thus, the lower V C at the end. These are all the variables explained, which appear in the capacitor discharge equation.
This process will be continued until the potential difference across the capacitor is equal to the potential difference across the battery. Because the current changes throughout charging, the rate of flow of charge will not be linear. At the start, the current will be at its highest but will gradually decrease to zero.
As soon as the capacitor is short-circuited, it starts discharging. Let us assume, the voltage of the capacitor at fully charged condition is V volt. As soon as the capacitor is short-circuited, the discharging current of the circuit would be – V / R ampere.