Your Thevenin idea has merit. In this situation you need to find the time constant for the RC network, and to do that you will want to know what equivalent resistance the capacitor "sees". So treat the capacitor as the load of the network and find the Thevenin equivalent that drives it.Verris said:
A first order transient is a type of response that occurs when a sudden change in voltage is applied to a capacitor in an RC circuit. This results in an exponential decay or growth of the voltage, depending on the direction of the change.
The time constant (represented by the symbol tau, τ) of an RC circuit is calculated by multiplying the resistance (R) in ohms by the capacitance (C) in farads. Mathematically, τ = RC.
The response of an RC circuit is affected by the values of the resistance and capacitance, as well as the initial voltage across the capacitor and the direction of the change in voltage. Additionally, the type and quality of the components used in the circuit can also impact the response.
The DC voltage, or the steady voltage applied to the circuit, determines the initial voltage across the capacitor. This initial voltage then affects the rate of change and the final voltage reached during the transient response.
Yes, an RC circuit can have multiple transients if there are multiple changes in the applied voltage. Each change will result in a new transient response, with the final voltage of the previous transient becoming the initial voltage for the next one.