CAPACITANCE AND DIELECTRICS

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Objectives
3.0 Main content
4.0 Concluding remark

1.0 Introduction
This unit focus on capacitors, their capacitance and the effect of a dielectric on the capacitance
of a capacitor. Capacitors are electronic devices that are used to store electric charges in a circuit.
Capacitors are made from two conductors, usually of equal area separated vacuum. A voltage is
then applied across the two conductors in other to charge the capacitor so that one plate acquires
a positive charge while the other acquires a negative charge. Often, the space between the
capacitor is filled with either air or an insulator called a dielectric in other to alter the properties
of the capacitor.
The two conductors of a capacitor have charges with equal magnitude and opposite sign, and the
net charge on the capacitor as a whole remains zero. Hence, it should be noted from here on that
when we say that a capacitor has a charge of magnitude 𝑄, we simply mean that the conductor at
a higher potential carries a charge of magnitude +𝑄, while the conductor at a lower potential
carries a charge of magnitude −𝑄.
There are different types of capacitors such as the parallel plate capacitor, the cylindrical
capacitor and the spherical capacitor. However, for this module, our discussion will be limited to
the parallel-plate capacitor.
The SI unit of capacitance of a capacitor is called the farad (F).
In a circuit diagram a capacitor is represented by the symbol in figure 1.1 below.

Figure 1.1: Symbol for a capacitor in a circuit

2.0 Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
i. Calculate the capacitance of a capacitor.
ii. List the factors affecting the capacitance of a capacitor and their effects on the
capacitance.
iii. Calculate the dielectric constant.
 iv. Calculate the effective capacitance in series and parallel arrangement of a capacitor in a
circuit.

3.0 Main content

3.6 Capacitance of a capacitor
The capacitance of a capacitor is the magnitude of charge carried by either of the conductors
(plates) of a capacitor per the potential difference across the two conductors.
𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟 (𝑄)
𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 (𝐶) =
𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 (𝑉)
𝑄
𝐶= … (3.1)
𝑉
The unit of capacitance, 𝐹 can therefore be defined as one Coulomb per volt (1𝐶/𝑉).
3.2 Parallel-plate capacitor in vacuum
Figure 3.1 below shows a typical parallel-plate capacitor in vacuum.

Figure 3.1: Parallel plate capacitor

From equation 3.1 above
𝑄
𝐶= … (3.1)
𝑉
Recall from Coulomb’s law that
𝑉 = 𝐸𝑑 … (3.2)
And from Gauss’s law that
𝜎 𝑄
𝐸= = … (3.3)
𝜀0 𝜀0 𝐴
Since
 𝑄
𝜎= … . (3.4)
𝐴

Where:
𝐸 = the electric field between two charges
𝑑 = distance between two charges
𝐴 = cross-sectional area of a conductor
𝜀0 = the permittivity of free space (vacuum) = 8.854 × 10−12 𝐶 2 /𝑁. 𝑚2
(Permittivity is a measure of how freely a charged body can move through an object).
Substituting (3.2) and (3.3) into (3.1) we have
𝑄
𝐶= … (3.5)
𝐸𝑑
𝐴
𝐶 = 𝜀0 … (3.6)
𝑑
(3.6) gives the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor in a vacuum.
Solved examples
1. The parallel plates of a 1.0-F capacitor are 1.0 mm apart. What is their area?
Solution
𝐶𝑑
From (3.6) it is easy to show that 𝐴 = 𝜀0
(1𝐹)(1 × 10−3 𝑚)
𝐴= = 1.1 × 108 𝑚2
8.854 × 10−12 𝐹/𝑚
2. The plates of a parallel-plate capacitor in vacuum are 5.00 𝑚𝑚 apart and2.00 𝑚2 in area.
A 10.0 kV potential difference is applied across the capacitor. Compute (a) the
capacitance; (b) the charge on each plate; and (c) the magnitude of the electric field
between the plates.
Solution
𝐴 𝐹 2.00 𝑚2
(a) 𝐶 = 𝜀0 𝑑 = (8.854 × 10−12 𝑚) (5.00×10−3 𝑚) = 3.54 × 10−9 𝐹 = 0.00354𝜇𝐹
(b) From (3.1), 𝑄 = 𝐶𝑉 = (3.54 × 10−9 𝐹)(10 × 103 𝑉) = 35.4 × 10−6 𝐶 = 35.4𝜇𝐶
𝑄 35.4×10−6 𝐶
(c) From (3.5), 𝐸 = 𝐶𝑑 = = 2.00 × 106 𝑁/𝐶
35.4×10−10 𝐹×5.00×10−3 𝑚
3. The potential difference between two large metal plates is 120V. The plate separation is
3.0 mm. find the electric field between the plates.
Solution
𝑉
From (3.2), 𝐸 = 𝑑 = 120𝑉/3.0 × 10−3 = 40𝑘𝑁/𝐶
 4. Determine the charge on each plate of 0.050𝜇𝐹 capacitor when the potential difference
between the plates is 200𝑉.
Solution
𝑄 = 𝐶𝑉 = 0.050𝜇𝐹 × 200V = 10μC

3.3 Factors affecting the capacitance of a capacitor

There are three factors that affects the capacitance of a capacitor. These are the cross-sectional
area of the capacitor, the separation of the conductors that make up the capacitor and the material
present between the conductors.
i. As seen from (3.6), as the cross-sectional area (A) increases, the capacitance of the
capacitor increases. That is, the larger the capacitor, the larger its capacitance.
ii. The capacitance of a capacitor is inversely proportional to the distance (d) between the
two conductors. The capacitance of a capacitor decreases as the separation between the
two conductors increases and vise-versa.
iii. The effect of a dielectric between the two conductors making up a capacitor will be
discussed in the next section.
3.4 Dielectrics
Any material such as air, rubber, or any other insulator that is present between the two
conductors of a capacitor is called a dielectric. Placing a solid dielectric between the plates of a
capacitor serves three functions.

Figure 3.2: Capacitor with Dielectric

First, it solves the mechanical problem of maintaining two large metal sheets at a very small
separation without actual contact.
Second, using a dielectric increases the maximum possible potential difference between the
capacitor plates. An insulating material, when subjected to a sufficiently large electric field,
experiences a partial ionization that permits conduction through it. This is called dielectric
breakdown. Many dielectric materials can tolerate stronger electric fields without breakdown
than can air. Thus using a dielectric allows a capacitor to sustain a higher potential difference
and so store greater amounts of charge and energy. Third, the capacitance of a capacitor of given
dimensions is greater when there is a dielectric material between the plates than when there is
vacuum.
When a dielectric is used in a capacitor, the capacitance is given as:
𝐴 𝐴
𝐶 = 𝐾𝜀0 = 𝜖 … (3.7)
𝑑 𝑑
Where K is the dielectric constant and 𝜖 is the permittivity of the dielectric.
𝜖 = 𝐾𝜀0 … (3.8)
𝐶
From (3.7) above it is not difficult to show that 𝐾 = 𝐶 is we consider the capacitance with
0
𝑉0
vacuum 𝐶0 and the capacitance with dielectric 𝐶. Similarly, we can show that 𝐾 = .
𝑉

The dielectric constant of air is approximately 1, hence the capacitance of a capacitor can be
calculated using (3.6). Table 3.1 below shows the dielectric constant K of some materials at 20℃
while table 3.2 shows the dielectric constant and the dielectric strength of some materials.
Table 3.1: Dielectric constant K of some materials at 20℃
Material K Material K
Vacuum 1 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) 3.18
Air (1 atm) 1.00059 Plexiglas 3.40
Air (100 atm) 1.0548 Glass 5-10
Teflon 2.1 Neoprene 6.70
Polyethene 2.25 Germanium 16
Benzene 2.28 Glycerin 42.5
Mica 3-6 Water 80.4
Mylar 3.1 Strontium titanate 310

Table 3.1: Dielectric constant and the dielectric strength of some materials
Material Dielectric constant, K Dielectric strength E (V/m)
Polycarbonate 2.8 3 × 107
Polyester 3.3 6 × 107
Polypropene 2.2 7 × 107
Polystyrene 2.6 2 × 107
Pyrex glass 4.7 1 × 107

3.5 Energy stored in a capacitor

The potential energy U stored in a capacitor is defined as the amount of work done to fully
charge the capacitor. The potential energy U of a charged capacitor can be calculated as follows:
𝑄
𝑉= and also recall from Coulomb’s law that the work done W in moving a charge from one
𝐶
point to another is given by 𝑊 = 𝑄𝑉. Then,
𝑄
𝑑𝑊 = 𝑉 𝑑𝑄 = 𝑑𝑄 … (3.9)
𝐶
The potential energy U is the total work done in taking a capacitor from 𝑄 = 0 to 𝑄 = 𝑄 i.e
𝑄
𝑄 1 𝑄 1 𝑄2
𝑈= ∫ 𝑑𝑄 = ∫ 𝑄 𝑑𝑄 = … (3.10)
0 𝐶 𝐶 0 2 𝐶

1 𝑄2 1 1
𝑈= = 𝑄𝑉 = 𝐶𝑉 2 … (3.11)
2 𝐶 2 2
(3.11) gives the formulas for calculating the energy stored in a capacitor.

The energy density of a capacitor (𝒖)

The energy density 𝑢 of a capacitor is defined at the potential energy stored in a capacitor per
unit volume.
1
From (3.11) 2 𝐶𝑉 2 , 𝑢 can be calculated as
1
𝐶𝑉 2
2
𝑢= … (3.11𝑎)
𝐴𝑑
Where 𝐴 is the cross-sectional area and
𝑑 is the separation between the capacitors.
From (3.11a) above, it is easy to show that
1
𝑢= 𝜀 𝐸 2 (𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑢𝑚) … (3.11𝑏)
2 0
1
𝑢 = 𝜖𝐸 2 (𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐) … (3.11𝑐)
2
Since 𝜖 = 𝐾𝜀0 .

3.6 Capacitors in series and in parallel

The arrangement of capacitors in a circuit can either be in series or in parallel or a combination
of both. The effective or equivalent capacitance(𝐶𝑒𝑞 ) in the circuit can be calculated.
3.6.1 Capacitors in series
Things to know about capacitors in series:
i. The same charge flows through all the capacitors
ii. The voltage in the circuit is the sum of all the voltage drop across each capacitor.
iii. The equivalent capacitance(𝐶𝑒𝑞 ) is smaller than the smallest capacitance in the circuit.

Figure 3.3 below shows capacitors in series. Note that the positive end of one capacitor is
connected to the negative end of the other.

Figure 3.3: Capacitors in series

From the figure above, 𝐶𝑒𝑞 can be found as follows:

𝑄 𝑄
𝑉1 = 𝐶 and 𝑉2 = 𝐶 , and 𝑉 = 𝑉1 + 𝑉2
1 2

𝑄 𝑄 1 1
𝑉= + = 𝑄( + )
𝐶1 𝐶2 𝐶1 𝐶2
𝑉 1 1 1 1 1
=( + ) ⇒ = +
𝑄 𝐶1 𝐶2 𝐶𝑒𝑞 𝐶1 𝐶2
1 1 1
= + … (3.12)
𝐶𝑒𝑞 𝐶1 𝐶2

A more general equation to calculate the equivalent capacitance of any number of capacitor in
series is given by
1 1 1 1
= + + ⋯+ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 … (3.13)
𝐶𝑒𝑞 𝐶1 𝐶2 𝐶𝑛

3.6.2 Capacitors in parallel

Two or more capacitors are said to be connected in parallel if the positive terminal of one is
connected to the positive terminal of another, and the negative terminal of one is connected to
the negative terminal of another as shown in figure 3.4 below.

Figure 3.4: Capacitors in parallel

Things to know about capacitors in parallel
i. The voltage drop across the capacitors is the same.
ii. The total charge in the circuit is the sum of the charges flowing through individual
capacitors.
iii. The equivalent capacitance 𝐶𝑒𝑞 is larger than the largest individual capacitance in the
circuit.
From figure 3.4 above, 𝐶𝑒𝑞 can be calculated as follows

𝑄1 = 𝐶1 𝑉 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑄2 = 𝐶2 𝑉
𝑄 = 𝑄1 + 𝑄2 = 𝐶1 𝑉 + 𝐶2 𝑉 = 𝑉(𝐶1 + 𝐶2 )
𝑄
= 𝐶1 + 𝐶2
𝑉
𝐶𝑒𝑞 = 𝐶1 + 𝐶2 … (3.14)

The more general equation to calculate the capacitance of n number of capacitors in parallel is
𝐶𝑒𝑞 = 𝐶1 + 𝐶2 + ⋯ + 𝐶𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 … (3.15)

Solved example on dielectrics, energy stored in a capacitors and series and parallel
arrangements of capacitors
1. A parallel-plate capacitor has capacitance 𝐶0 = 5.00 𝑝𝐹when there is air between the
plates. The separation between the plates is 1.50 mm (a) What is the maximum
magnitude of charge that can be placed on each plate if the electric field in the region
between the plates is not to exceed 3.00 × 104 𝑉/𝑚 (b) A dielectric with 𝐾 = 2.70 is
inserted between the plates of the capacitor, completely filling the volume between the
 plates. Now what is the maximum magnitude of charge on each plate if the electric field
between the plates is not to exceed3.00 × 104 𝑉/𝑚.
Solution
(a)
𝑉 = 𝐸𝑑 = (3 × 104 )(1.5 × 10−3 ) = 45𝑉
𝑄 = 𝐶𝑉 = 5 × 10−12 𝐹 × 45𝑉 = 225 × 10−12 𝐶 = 225𝑝𝐶 = 0.23 𝑛𝐶

𝐶
(b) Recall that 𝐾 = 𝐶
0
Then 𝐶 = 𝐾𝐶0 = 2.70 × 5 × 10−12 𝐹 = 13.5 × 10−12 𝐹 = 13.5𝑝𝐹
𝑄 = 𝐶𝑉 = (13.5 × 10−12 𝐹)(45𝑉) = 607.5 × 10−12 𝐶 = 607.5𝑝𝐶 = 0.61 𝑛𝐶
2. Calculate the equivalent capacitance in the figure below.

Solution
The capacitors 5𝜇𝐹 𝑎𝑛𝑑 8𝜇𝐹 are in parallel, hence their equivalence is 13 𝜇𝐹. Then we
now have 10𝜇𝐹, 13𝜇𝐹 𝑎𝑛𝑑 9𝜇𝐹 in series, their equivalent can be found using (3.13) to
give 3.45𝜇𝐹.
3. (a) Calculate the capacitance of a capacitor consisting of two parallel plates separated by
a layer of paraffin wax 0.50 𝑐𝑚 thick, the area of each plate being 80 𝑐𝑚2. The dielectric
constant for wax is 2.0. (b) if the capacitor is connected to a 100 𝑉 source, calculate the
charge and energy stored in the capacitor.
Solution
(a)
𝑑 = 5 × 10−3 𝑚
𝐴 = 8 × 10−3 𝑚2
𝐴 −12
𝐹 8 × 10−3 𝑚2
𝐶 = 𝜀0 = (2) (8.854 × 10 )( ) = 28.33 × 10−12 𝐹 = 28𝑝𝐹
𝑑 𝑚 5 × 10−3 𝑚
(b) 𝑄 = 𝐶𝑉 = (28.33 × 10−12 𝐹)(100𝑉) = 28.33 × 10−10 𝐶 = 2.83 × 10−9 𝐶 =
2.83𝐶
 1 2 1
𝑈= 𝐶𝑉 = (28.33 × 10−12 𝐹)(1 × 104 ) = 14.2 × 10−8 𝐽 = 1.42𝜇𝐽
2 2

4.0 Summary
In this module, we have studied the parallel-plate capacitor, the capacitance of a capacitor, the
factors affecting the capacitance of a capacitor and how to calculate the energy stored in a
capacitor.

Further reading
1. University Physics by Young and Freedman (13th edition).
2. Schuam’s series College Physics (9th edtion).
3. Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday and Resnick (9th edition).
4. Advanced level Physics by Nelkon and Parker (3rd edition).
5. Electrical and electronics principles by John Bird.