Enter the total capacitance and total resistance of an RC circuit into the calculator. The calculator will evaluate the RC time constant of the circuit.

## RC Time Constant Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the RC time constant of an RC circuit.

t = R * C
• Where t is the time constant (s)
• R is the total resistance
• C is the total capacitance

To calculate the RC time constant, multiply the total resistance by the total capacitance.

## RC Time Constant Definition

An RC Time constant is defined as the product of the resistance and capacitance within a circuit and is a measure of the voltage loss with respect to time.

## RC Time Constant Definition

How to calculate an RC time constant

1. First, measure the total resistance

Calculate or measure the total resistance in the circuit.

2. Next, measure the total capacitance

Calculate or measure the total capacitance in the circuit.

3. Calculate the time constant

Calculate the RC time constant using the total capacitance and total resistance measure in steps 1 and 2.

## FAQ

What is a time constant?

A time constant is a measure of the voltage loss across an RC circuit with respect to time. It’s completely dependent on the capacitance and the resistance of the circuit.

What is resistance?

Resistance is a force acting against the flow of electricity or electrons.