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capacitors alevel physics aqa

For capacitors in physics alevel, I thought current and voltage of the capacitor increases somewhat proportionally because when charging the voltage has to increase to meet supply voltage for it to be fully charged and then i thought current would be increasing too, but then i suppose it decreases as the electrons are stored in the capacitor and the current is the flow of electrons, it would decrease the, but why does current on the current time graph start at the top when voltage starts from 0 on the voltage time graph im just confused, could someone explain the current time graph and the voltage time graph, why they are different and what are the differences in the two when learning about capacitors? Please and thank you.

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by LisaPerera
For capacitors in physics alevel, I thought current and voltage of the capacitor increases somewhat proportionally because when charging the voltage has to increase to meet supply voltage for it to be fully charged and then i thought current would be increasing too, but then i suppose it decreases as the electrons are stored in the capacitor and the current is the flow of electrons, it would decrease the, but why does current on the current time graph start at the top when voltage starts from 0 on the voltage time graph im just confused, could someone explain the current time graph and the voltage time graph, why they are different and what are the differences in the two when learning about capacitors? Please and thank you.
Here's a simplified version:
Key concept: Current and voltage are out of phase in a capacitor.
When charging starts (t=0):

Voltage = 0 (capacitor is empty)

Current = maximum (electrons flow freely)

During charging:

Electrons accumulate and repel new ones

Voltage increases gradually

Current decreases (flow slows down)

When fully charged:

Voltage = maximum

Current = 0 (no more flow)

Simple analogy - filling a water tank:

Empty tank water rushes in fast (high current)

Rising water level = rising voltage

Full tank water stops flowing (zero current), but level is high (max voltage)

The math behind it: I = C × (dV/dt)** [I hope you studied calculus in maths, because it's an essential skill for anyone working in the field.]**
Current depends on how fast voltage changes, not on voltage itself:

Fast voltage change = high current

Slow voltage change = low current

No voltage change = zero current

Bottom line: As voltage goes up, current goes down.

Ciao,
Sandro

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