RC Timing Circuit

RC Timing Circuit is a Java application designed to enable you to study RC circuits.

A timing circuit with a resistor and a capacitor has many applications. These include: · in pacemakers, to ensure that the heart beats at a steady rate; · in variable-speed windshield wipers, to set the wiper frequency; · in flashing lights, to set the flash frequency.

Let's consider the flashing light as our example. The capacitor is initially uncharged. The capacitor then starts charging, with the rate at which it charges being determined by the product of the capacitance and resistance. The light is wired in parallel wth the capacitor.

When the capacitor voltage reaches a particular value, the charge on the capacitor is dumped through the light-bulb filament, discharging the capacitor and flashing the light. The process then repeats. A variable resistor can be used to adjust the rate at which the capacitor charges, thus adjusting the frequency at which the light flashes.