PHYSICS

ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL
AND CAPACITANCE
 CONTENTS
 DIELECTRICS AND POLARISATION
 CAPACITORS AND CAPACITANCE
 THE PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR
 EFFECT OF DIELECTRIC ON CAPACITANCE
• Dielectrics
• Dielectrics are non-conducting substances having
negligible number of charge carriers. In presence of an
external electric field, dipole moments are induced in
dielectrics by stretching and re-orienting the molecules
of the dielectric. The collective dipole moment is the
net charge on the surface of dielectric which opposes
and reduces (does not cancel) the external field.
Some of the dielectric
materials are:
Porcelain (ceramic),
mica, glass, plastics,
and the oxides of
various metals.
Some liquids and gases
Dry air
Distilled water
Vacuum
• Polar and Non-Polar Molecules
• When multiple atoms are bonded to each other,
a molecule is formed. These bonds or electron sharing
arrangement can be polar (when electrons are shared
unequally) and non-polar (when electrons are shared
equally).
• Various substances may have polar and non-polar molecules
depending upon the charge configuration inside them.
• A substance can be polarized from an external electric field
which leads to development of induced dipole moment
inside them.
• Polar
• Centers of positive and negative  charges -The centers are separated even in the absence of
external electric field
• Dipole Moment - Permanent dipole moment
• Dielectrics in External Electric Field - The individual dipole moments tend to align with the
field. They develop a net dipole moment in the direction of the field.
• Examples - Hydro Chloric Acid (HCl) and Water (H2O)
• Non polar
• Centers of positive and negative  charges - The centers coincide
• Dipole Moment - No permanent dipole moment
• Dielectrics in External Electric Field - Positive and negative charges get displaced. They
develop an induced dipole moment as a restoring force against the direction of electric field.
• Examples - Oxygen(O2) and Hydrogen(H2)
• Polarization of dielectrics
• A dielectric develops a net dipole moment in the presence
of an external field.The dipole moment per unit volume is
called polarization and is denoted by P. For linear isotropic
dielectrics (substances where induced dipole moment is in
the direction of the field and is proportional to the field
strength),
• P = χe E
• χe – electric susceptibility of the dielectric medium
• Capacitors and Capacitance
• A capacitor is a system of two conductors separated by an
insulator.
• The total charge of a capacitor is zero while the
conductors have charge Q and –Q.
• A single conductor can be considered as capacitor with
other conductor at infinity.
• Electric field in the region between the conductors is
proportional to the charge Q.
• Capacitanceis denoted by, C = Q/V. :
• It depends on
• Geometrical configuration (shape, size,
separation) of the system of two conductors.
• Nature of insulator/dielectric separating
• Charge on the capacitor leaks away due to
reduction in the insulating power of the
intervening medium. This happens due to
higher potential difference causing strong
electric fields.
• Maximum electric field
which a dielectric
medium can withstand
without breakdown and
prevent leaking of
charge is
called dielectric
strength. Air dielectric
strength is 3 x 106 Vm-1.
• SI unit of capacitance
is F (Farad).
• Parallel Plate Capacitor
• A parallel plate capacitor is a capacitor with 2 large plane
parallel conducting plates separated by a small distance.
• Electric field inside the capacitor has a direction from
positive to negative plate.
• For very small‘d’, the electric field is considered as uniform.
For large‘d’, the electric field is non-uniform and it bends
around the corners of the plate which is called fringing of
the field.
• Effect of dielectric on Capacitance
• When a dielectric is present between the plates of a
parallel plate capacitor fully occupying the region, the
dielectric is polarized by the electric field. The surface
charge densities are considered as σp and -σp.
• Dielectric constant of a substance is the factor by
which the capacitance increases from its vacuum
value, when the dielectric is fully inserted in between
the plates of the capacitor