Things You'll Need
Instructions
Cut two pieces of electrical wire. Strip off a half inch of insulating material from the ends of each wire segment.
Twist together one of the capacitor leads with one end of the first wire, and with one of the resistor leads.
Twist together the remaining capacitor lead with one end of the second wire, and with the remaining resistor lead.
Turn on the multimeter, and set the scale to read "Volts DC." Attach the red probe from the multimeter to the electrical joint where the first wire, the resistor and the capacitor meet.
Attach the black probe from the multimeter to the electrical joint where the second wire, the resistor and the capacitor meet.
Attach the loose end of the first wire to the positive battery terminal. Attach the loose end of the second wire to the negative battery terminal. Observe the multimeter display; the voltage reading will be approximately 6 volts.
Disconnect the first wire from the battery and observe the voltage reading. After 1 second the voltage across the capacitor will be approximately 2.2 volts. After 2 seconds the voltage will fall to 0.8 volts. After 3 seconds the voltage will fall to approximately 0.3 volts. By the time 5 seconds have elapsed, the capacitor will be completely discharged for all practical purposes.