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RL Circuit

Author:
Dave Nero

Instructions

This simulation shows the changing current and voltage in an RL circuit. Click the play button in the bottom left corner to start the simulation. Click on the switches to change how current flows through the circuit. Use the sliders to adjust the EMF, resistance, and inductance of the circuit. Use the drop-down menu to the left of the graph to switch between plotting current and voltage.
  1. When is the current through an inductor maximum? When is it zero?
  2. Why does opening both switches immediately set the current and voltage across the inductor to zero?
  3. What combination of settings results in the largest time constant?
  4. The voltage across the resistor is not plotted here. Can you figure out what a plot of it would look like?