characteristic time constant

(noun)

Denoted by $\tau$, in RL circuits it is given by $ \tau=\frac{L}{R}$ where R is resistance and L is inductance. When a switch is closed, it is the time it takes for the current to decay by a factor of 1/e.

Related Terms

  • inductor

Examples of characteristic time constant in the following topics:

  • RL Circuits

    • It takes time to build up energy, and it also takes time to deplete energy; hence, there is an opposition to rapid change.
    • The initial current is zero and approaches I0=V/R with a characteristic time constant for an RL circuit, given by:
    • The current will be 0.632 of the remainder in the next time.
    • A well-known property of the exponential function is that the final value is never exactly reached, but 0.632 of the remainder to that value is achieved in every characteristic time $\tau$.
    • The characteristic time $\tau$ depends on only two factors, the inductance L and the resistance R.
  • Constant Velocity

    • An object moving with constant velocity must have a constant speed in a constant direction.
    • If an object is moving at constant velocity, the graph of distance vs. time ($x$ vs.
    • $t$) shows the same change in position over each interval of time.
    • You can also obtain an object's velocity if you know its trace over time.
    • When an object is moving with constant velocity, it does not change direction nor speed and therefore is represented as a straight line when graphed as distance over time.
  • Motion with Constant Acceleration

    • Constant acceleration occurs when an object's velocity changes by an equal amount in every equal time period.
    • An object experiencing constant acceleration has a velocity that increases or decreases by an equal amount for any constant period of time.
    • It is defined as the first time derivative of velocity (so the second derivative of position with respect to time):
    • When it is not, we can either consider it in separate parts of constant acceleration or use an average acceleration over a period of time.
    • Due to the algebraic properties of constant acceleration, there are kinematic equations that relate displacement, initial velocity, final velocity, acceleration, and time.
  • Planck's Quantum Hypothesis and Black Body Radiation

    • A black body in thermal equilibrium (i.e. at a constant temperature) emits electromagnetic radiation called black body radiation.
    • Black body radiation has a characteristic, continuous frequency spectrum that depends only on the body's temperature.
    • where $B$ is the spectral radiance of the surface of the black body, $T$ is its absolute temperature, $\lambda$ is wavelength of the radiation, $k_B$ is the Boltzmann constant, $h$ is the Planck constant, and $c$ is the speed of light.
    • It is not a surprise that he introduced Planck constant $h = 6.626 \times 10^{-34} J \cdot s$ for the first time in his derivation of the Planck's law.
  • Simple harmonic oscillation

    • The constant of proportionality is called the spring constant and is usually denoted by k.
    • So this is its natural or characteristic frequency.
    • Let's continue to refer to this characteristic frequency as $\omega_0$ to emphasize the fact that it is a constant for a given spring/mass system.
    • So $B$ must equal whatever velocity the mass has when it zips through the origin, divided by the characteristic frequency $\omega_0$.
    • Since the $t$ disappears, we see that the energy is constant with time, and thus energy is conserved.
  • Specific Heat for an Ideal Gas at Constant Pressure and Volume

    • An ideal gas has different specific heat capacities under constant volume or constant pressure conditions.
    • where the partial derivatives are taken at: constant volume and constant number of particles, and at constant pressure and constant number of particles, respectively.
    • The heat capacity ratio or adiabatic index is the ratio of the heat capacity at constant pressure to heat capacity at constant volume.
    • It is a simple equation relating the heat capacities under constant temperature and under constant pressure.
    • In addition, molecules in the gas may pick up many characteristic internal vibrations.
  • Angular vs. Linear Quantities

    • Imagine a particle moving in a circle around a point at a constant speed.
    • At any instant in time, the particle is moving in a particular straight-line direction with that speed.
    • Thus, while the object moves in a circle at constant speed, it undergoes constant linear acceleration to keep it moving in a circle.
    • However, it's angular velocity is constant since it continually sweeps out a constant arc length per unit time.
    • Constant angular velocity in a circle is known as uniform circular motion.
  • Different Types of Currents

    • If the sources are constant (DC) sources, the result is a DC circuit.
    • A direct current circuit is an electrical circuit that consists of any combination of constant voltage sources, constant current sources, and resistors.
    • In this case, the circuit voltages and currents are independent of time.
    • The solution to these equations usually contain a time varying or transient part as well as constant or steady state part.
    • The two Kirchoff laws along with the current-voltage characteristic (I-V curve) of each electrical element completely describe a circuit.
  • Constant Angular Acceleration

    • Constant angular acceleration describes the relationships among angular velocity, angle of rotation, and time.
    • For example, if a motorcycle wheel has a large angular acceleration for a fairly long time, it ends up spinning rapidly and rotating through many revolutions.
    • We have already studied kinematic equations governing linear motion under constant acceleration:
    • Similarly, the kinematics of rotational motion describes the relationships among rotation angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration, and time.
    • As in linear kinematics where we assumed a is constant, here we assume that angular acceleration α is a constant, and can use the relation: $a=r\alpha $ Where r - radius of curve.Similarly, we have the following relationships between linear and angular values: $v=r\omega \\x=r\theta $
  • Constant Pressure

    • Isobaric processis a thermodynamic process in which the pressure stays constant (at constant pressure, work done by a gas is $P \Delta V$).
    • An isobaric process is a thermodynamic process in which pressure stays constant: ΔP = 0.
    • Because the change in volume of a cylinder is its cross-sectional area A times the displacement d, we see that Ad=ΔV, the change in volume.
    • Specific heat at constant pressure is defined by the following equation:
    • A graph of pressure versus volume for a constant-pressure, or isobaric process.
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