An air-filled parallel-plate capacitor has a capacitance of 2.1 pF. The separation of the plates

step 1 This question we have been given firstly an air filled parallel plate capacitor and its capacita

An air-filled parallel-plate capacitor has a capacitance of...

An air-filled parallel-plate capacitor has a capacitance of $2.1 \mathrm{pF}$. The separation of the plates is doubled, and wax is inserted between them. The new capacitance is $2.6 \mathrm{pF}$. Find the dielectric constant of the wax.

Key Concepts

Parallel Plate Capacitor

A parallel plate capacitor is an electrical component that stores energy in an electric field between two conductive plates separated by an insulating material. Its capacitance is determined by the area of the plates, the distance between them, and the permittivity of the insulating medium, which is expressed by the formula C = ?A/d.

Capacitor Geometry and Capacitance Relationship

The capacitance of a capacitor is directly proportional to the area of its plates and inversely proportional to the separation distance between them. Changes in the physical dimensions, such as doubling the distance between the plates, directly affect the capacity to store electrical charge, thereby decreasing the overall capacitance if no other changes are made.

Dielectric Constant

The dielectric constant, or relative permittivity, is a measure of a material's ability to increase the capacitance of a capacitor when inserted as the insulating medium. It quantifies how much a dielectric material can reduce the electric field strength within the capacitor compared to a vacuum, resulting in an enhanced capacitance.

Effect of Inserting a Dielectric Material

When a dielectric material is inserted between the plates of a capacitor, it increases the capacitance by a factor equal to the dielectric constant of the material. This is because the dielectric reduces the effective electric field within the capacitor, allowing it to store more charge for a given voltage.

Transcript

Please give Ace some feedback