Question

A capacitor is fully charged and then connected in series to an inductor with zero resistance wires. This is an ideal L-C circuit that will oscillate the current direction. Explain HOW and WHY this circuit oscillates and discuss energy conservation in this oscillation behavior. Your response should be at least 3 paragraphs to show your mastery of the concepts.

Answer 1

Initially capacitor is fully charged. Therefore for total energy is stored in capacitor. And inductor carries zero energy at t= 0. As time progress, capacitor starts discharging and current flows in the circuit. Thus inductor also starts storing energy.

As the current flowing through the circuit increases the energy stored in inductor is increasing and that in capacitor is decreasing. This energy is transferring from capacitor to inductor.

Now the total energy is stored in inductor and capacitor carries zero energy. After this inductor starts loosing its energy by drawing the current in circuit again. But this time direction of current is opossite to that os earlier direction. This way inductor looses energy and capacitor gains energy. After some time inductor looses all its energy and capacitor is fully charged.

This cycle repeats in an oscillating fashion. Energy transfer takes place between capacitor and inductor in an oscillatory fashion.