Question

What is the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor constructed of plates 10 cm square, separated by 1 mm, and filled with polystyrene with a dielectric constant of 2.6 ? Express your answer as the coefficient in front the the powers of ten.

Answer 1

Since there is a dielectric, the capacitance is given by:

`C=(k\epsilon_oA)/(d)`

Where:

`\begin{gathered} k=Dielectric_{\text{ }}constant=2.6 \\ \epsilon_o=vacuum_{\text{ }}permittivity=8.85*10^(-12) \\ A=Area=0.01m^2 \\ d=distance=0.001m \end{gathered}`

Therefore:

`C=2.301*10^(-10)F`

Answer:

2.301x10⁻¹⁰F