Objective: Determining the relative permittivity of various materials
Any insulating or poorly conducting material which lacks free charge carriers can act as a dielectric when an electric field passes through it. The material may be a gas, liquid or solid. The dielectric is polarised in the electric field. This polarisation can be induced (displacement) polarisation or orientational polarisation. In the experiment the voltage applied across a plate capacitor is measured both with and without cardboard or a transparent acrylic plate inserted between the capacitor’s plates. The dielectric constants of these intervening materials are obtained from the ratio of the measured voltages.
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Dielectrics in plate capacitors, 8000786 [UE3010850-230], Complete Experiments on Electricity and Magnetism](/imagelibrary/UE3010850-230/UE3010850-230_01_Experiment-Dielectrics-in-plate-capacitors.jpg)
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0 – 20 V, 0 – 5 A, 1003312 [U33020-230], Power Supplies](/thumblibrary/U33020-230/U33020-230_01_140_140_DC-Power-Supply-0-20-V-0-5-A.jpg)
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![Plate Capacitor D, 1006798 [U8492355], Electrostatics](/thumblibrary/U8492355/U8492355_01_140_140_Plate-Capacitor-D.jpg)
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![Electric Field Meter, 1021405 [U8557820-230], Electrostatics](/thumblibrary/U8557820-230/U8557820-230_01_140_140_Electric-Field-Meter.jpg)
![Safety Experiment Leads, 75 cm, 2.5 mm², blue, red, (2 pcs), 1017718 [U13816], Experiment Leads and Cables](/thumblibrary/U13816/U13816_01_140_140_Safety-Experiment-Leads-75-cm-25-mm-blue-red-2-pcs.jpg)
![Plexiglas Plate, 1000880 [U8476371], Electrostatics](/thumblibrary/U8476371/U8476371_01_140_140_Plexiglas-Plate.jpg)
![Cardboard Plate, 1000936 [U8492341], Electrostatics](/thumblibrary/U8492341/U8492341_01_140_140_Cardboard-Plate.jpg)
![Universal Clamp, 1002830 [U13255], Clamps](/thumblibrary/U13255/U13255_01_140_140_Universal-Clamp.jpg)
![Tripod Stand 150 mm, 1002835 [U13270], Bases](/thumblibrary/U13270/U13270_01_140_140_Tripod-Stand-150-mm.jpg)
![Set of 15 Experiment Leads, 75 cm 1 mm², 1002840 [U13800], Experiment Leads and Cables](/thumblibrary/U13800/U13800_01_140_140_Set-of-15-Experiment-Leads-75-cm-1-mm.jpg)
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FG 100, 1 mHz - 100 kHz, 1009957 [U8533600-230], Function Generators](/thumblibrary/U8533600-230/U8533600-230_01_140_140_Function-Generator-FG-100-1-mHz-100-kHz.jpg)
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