The Quick Capacitor

Capacitor charging and discharging rates aren't always as leisurely as those we've seen so far. Sometimes they can be quick as a flash. This circuit will show you just how fast a capacitor can charge or discharge. It uses two 100 uF capacitors in parallel (see them on the schematic?).

Before starting to build this Project, set the Select switch to B. When you finish the wiring connections, set the Select Switch to A.

The Lamp will briefly flash when you do this. Now set the Select Switch back to B. The Lamp will flash again! You'll notice that the capacitors used in this Project are different from the others.. These are electrolytic capacitors.

They are able to have a large capacitance in a relatively small space. You'll notice on the schematic that these capacitors are indicated by a "+". The + side of an electrolytic capacitor must always be connected in the proper order as shown on the schematic.

Other capacitors (resistors too) can be connected in any manner. This type of circuit has practical uses. For example, you could use it to tell if a switch has been set to another position. Can you think of any other applications for it?