Dielectrics in Capacitors

Claimed by Alex Lim (alim33) This page is about dielectrics placed between two capacitor plates, and its effect on the capacitor and the circuit it's a part of.

The Main Idea

What are dielectrics? Dielectrics are non-conducting material (insulator). One of the functions of a dielectric in a capacitor is the effect it has on the capacitance, a capacitor's storage potential which is measured in units called farads(F). A dielectric ALWAYS increases the capacitance, this'll be further explained below. Another function of a dielectric is the separation of the two capacitor plates because if the two plates are in contact then it would complete the circuit and no charge would be ever be stored in the capacitor plates.

A Mathematical Model

C(with dielectric) = kC

k = dielectric constant (since a dielectric always increases capacitance, k > 1)

[math]\displaystyle{ C=\frac{Q}{V} }[/math]

C = capacitance, Q = the charge on the capacitor, V = voltage across the plates

Another way to write capacitance,

[math]\displaystyle{ C = \frac{k*\epsilon_0*A}{d} }[/math]

C = capacitance, k = dielectric constant, [math]\displaystyle{ epsilon_0 }[/math] = 8.85e-12 [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{C^2}{N}*m^2 }[/math]

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