What happens when a capacitor is connected in series with a resistor?

When a capacitor is connected in series with a resistor, the charging behavior of the capacitor is determined by the values of both the capacitance and the resistance in the circuit. This relationship is governed by the time constant, which is calculated as the product of the resistance (in ohms) and the capacitance (in farads).

The time constant indicates how quickly the capacitor will charge to around 63.2% of the supply voltage after being connected to the circuit. The larger the resistance, the slower the charging process, while a larger capacitance results in a more extended charging time. Therefore, the rate at which the capacitor charges is not fixed; it is influenced directly by the interplay of the resistance and capacitance values. This principle is fundamental in understanding how RC (resistor-capacitor) circuits behave in both transient and steady-state conditions.

The other options misinterpret the behavior of the capacitor in a series circuit. A capacitor does not allow current to increase indefinitely; instead, the current decreases over time as the capacitor approaches its full charge. The charging rate is finite and is explicitly linked to the values of resistance and capacitance. Furthermore, while capacitors do charge, the claim that a capacitor never charges is incorrect; it indeed