When an RL circuit is connected to a DC source, its complete response is divided into transient and steady-state responses. The transient response is the circuit's temporary response that exponentially decays to zero as the time approaches infinity. The inductor then acts as a short circuit, and the source voltage drops across the resistor. At this instant, the current in the circuit becomes steady and equals the ratio of the source voltage to resistance. This is the steady-state response. Substituting the steady state and transient response yields the total response of the RL circuit. The constant term is determined by substituting the initial current through the inductor at a time equal to zero. The complete step response, depicted graphically, shows that the initial current exponentially decreases to a steady-state value. If the initial current is zero, the complete step response shows the exponential increase of current to a steady-state value. The voltage response exponentially decreases to zero with an initial voltage equal to the source voltage.