---
title: "An uncharged capacitor of capacitance \\(C\\) is connected in series with a resistor of resistance \\(R\\), an open switch \\(S\\), and an ideal battery of constant voltage \\(\\varepsilon\\). The switch is closed at time \\(t = 0\\), and the circuit is allowed to reach a steady state. What is the total energy dissipated as thermal energy in the resistor during the entire charging process?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/117183/"
date_modified: "2026-08-04T06:44:55+00:00"
---

# An uncharged capacitor of capacitance \(C\) is connected in series with a resistor of resistance \(R\), an open switch \(S\), and an ideal battery of constant voltage \(\varepsilon\). The switch is closed at time \(t = 0\), and the circuit is allowed to reach a steady state. What is the total energy dissipated as thermal energy in the resistor during the entire charging process?

An uncharged capacitor of capacitance \(C\) is connected in series with a resistor of resistance \(R\), an open switch \(S\), and an ideal battery of constant voltage \(\varepsilon\). The switch is closed at time \(t = 0\), and the circuit is allowed to reach a steady state. What is the total energy dissipated as thermal energy in the resistor during the entire charging process?

![A schematic diagram of a single-loop electric circuit. On the left vertical branch is an ideal DC voltage source labeled \varepsilon with the positive terminal on top. On the top horizontal branch is an open single-pole switch labeled S. On the right vertical branch is a resistor labeled R. On the bottom horizontal branch is a parallel-plate capacitor labeled C. All components are connected in a continuous loop by straight lines representing ideal conducting wires. No other labels, lines, text, or axes appear.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/stem-fig-1-1785825895-PWdP2B.jpg)

- **A.** \(\dfrac{1}{2} C \varepsilon^2\)
- **B.** \(C \varepsilon^2\)
- **C.** \(\dfrac{1}{4} C \varepsilon^2\)
- **D.** \(2 C \varepsilon^2\)

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/117183/*