Enter the capacitance of the material and the capacitance in a vacuum into the calculator to determine the relative permittivity. This calculator helps in understanding the dielectric properties of a material.
Relative Permittivity Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the relative permittivity.
εr = C / C₀
Variables:
- εr is the relative permittivity (dimensionless)
- C is the capacitance of the material (farads)
- C₀ is the capacitance in a vacuum (farads)
To calculate the relative permittivity, divide the capacitance of the material by the capacitance in a vacuum.
What is Relative Permittivity?
Relative permittivity, also known as the dielectric constant, is a measure of how much a material can hold an electric charge compared to a vacuum. It is a dimensionless quantity that indicates how much the electric field is reduced inside the material compared to a vacuum. A higher relative permittivity means the material can store more charge at a given voltage. This property is crucial in the design of capacitors and for understanding the electrical properties of materials.
How to Calculate Relative Permittivity?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Relative Permittivity.
- First, determine the capacitance of the material (C) in farads.
- Next, determine the capacitance in a vacuum (C₀) in farads.
- Next, gather the formula from above = εr = C / C₀.
- Finally, calculate the Relative Permittivity (εr).
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
capacitance of the material (C) = 5 farads
capacitance in a vacuum (C₀) = 2 farads
