First and Second Order Circuits and Equations: Technical Background and Insights

＂First-order circuits are simple circuits that have a resistor connected with an energy storage element. It is either a conductor or an inductor. The first-order circuit with just a resistor and a conductor is called an RC circuit, while one with a resistor and an inductor is called an RL circuit. Second-order circuits are RLC circuits that contain two energy storage elements. They can be represented by a second-order differential equation. A characteristic equation, which is derived from the governing differential equation, is often used to determine the natural response of the circuit.＂--

Robert O’Rourke is an electronic engineer and independent Technical Learning Architect, with experience creating and teaching electronic circuits and electromagnetics simulation for high speed digital signal integrity, power circuits, multiphysics differential equations, and antenna applications.