simple capacitor question.

Lets take a simple RC circuit, where the Capcitor was charged to 5V before it was connected to the resistor.

According to the Conversation of Charge Law, the charge that is stored at the capacitor will stay in the circuit.
Since the resistor doesnt accumulate charge, then it must go back to the capacitor.

So how come that eventually the capacitor is discharged?
Where all the charge has gone?

To the other plate of the capacitor. The electrons (which have a negative charge) simply move from the negatively charged plate of the capacitor to the positively charged plate to equalize the charge.

As in the insulation between the plates is not perfect. Some current leaks through them. Different types of caps have different leakage values.

smanches said:

As in the insulation between the plates is not perfect. Some current leaks through them. Different types of caps have different leakage values.

Click to expand...

Any leakage between plates is incidental to his question about where the charge goes when you connect a resistor to a capacitor.

LOL, I completely misread what he was asking. oops.