1 Answer
In the capacitor formula, K refers to the dielectric constant (also called the relative permittivity) of the material between the capacitor's plates.
The general formula for the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is:
\[
C = \frac{{K \cdot \varepsilon_0 \cdot A}}{{d}}
\]
Where:
What does K do?
The general formula for the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is:
\[
C = \frac{{K \cdot \varepsilon_0 \cdot A}}{{d}}
\]
Where:
- C is the capacitance
- K is the dielectric constant (relative permittivity) of the material between the plates
- ε₀ is the permittivity of free space (a constant value, approximately \(8.854 \times 10^{-12} \, \text{F/m}\))
- A is the area of one of the plates
- d is the distance between the plates
What does K do?
- The dielectric constant K indicates how much better a material can store electrical energy compared to a vacuum.
- If K = 1, the capacitor is in a vacuum or air.
- If K > 1, the material is a better insulator and increases the capacitor’s capacitance. Common materials used for the dielectric are glass, ceramic, plastic, etc.