UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

Topic

1. Capacitors and Capacitance

2. Capacitors in Series and Parallel

3. Energy Storage in Capacitors and Electric-Field Energy

4. Dielectrics

5. Conceptual Problems : TYU-24.1, TYU-24.2, TYU-24.3 & TYU-24.4

6. In class Problems : 24.2, 24.6, 24.10 & 24.11

7. Assignment Problems: 24.17 & 24.35

LEARNING GOALS

• To understand capacitors and calculate capacitance

• To analyze networks of capacitors

• To calculate the energy stored in a capacitor

• To examine dielectrics and how they affect capacitance

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 1

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

Capacitors and capacitance

• A capacitor is a device that stores electric potential energy and electric charge.
• Any two conductors separated by an “insulator” form a capacitor.
• To store energy in a capacitor, charge is transferred from one conductor to the other so that one
has a negative charge and the other has an equal amount of positive charge. Work must be done
to move the charges through the resulting potential difference between the conductors, and the
work done is stored as electric potential energy.
• Capacitors have a large number of practical applications in devices such as electronic flash units
for photography, pulsed lasers, air bag sensors for cars, and radio and television receivers.
• The capacitance depends on the sizes and shapes of the conductors and on the insulating
material (if any) between them.
• The capacitance increases when an insulating material (a dielectric) is present. This happens
because a redistribution of charge, called polarization, takes place within the insulating material.
Polarization gives an added insight into the electrical properties of matter.
• Insulator will allow Electric field between the conductors,
• Insulator will not allow charge to flow from one conductor through itself to the other.
• The more charge the conductor can hold, the larger the capacitor and “capacity”
• Capacitor can be charged by pushing the charge into it with a potential voltage “pressure”
• The electric field (E) at any point in the region between the conductors is proportional to the
magnitude Q of charge on each conductor. This means that the potential difference ( Vab) between
the conductors is also proportional to Q.
But the ratio however, the ratio of charge (Q) to potential difference ( Vab) does not change.
=> Q
 C  constant
Vab

Where C is called the capacitance of the capacitor

Coulomb Coulomb 2
• Units of Capacitance is Farad: Farad  
Volt Joul
• The capacitance is a measure of the ability of a capacitor to store energy. The value of the
capacitance depends only on the shapes and sizes of the conductors and on the nature of the
insulating material between them.
But for certain special types of insulating materials the capacitance dependent on Q and Vab .
Parallel-plate capacitor
Let us consider two identical conducting plates of area A each.
One plate has +Q charge while the plate has –Q charge.
Let σ = surface charge density of each plate i.e charge per unit
area
Q
Then  
A
The electric field present inside the capacitor is
 Q
E  E
0 0 A
The electric field is uniform and the distance between the plates is ‘d’, so the potential difference
(voltage) between the two plates is:
 Q 
Vab  E d  Vab   d
 0 A 
Q Q 0 A
So, C   C  C
Vab  Q  d
 d
 0 A 

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 2

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

This is the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor in vacuum.

• C is engineered by controlling area (A) & distance (d).
• C increases with Area
• C decreases with separation

Farads  0 A C d
• units of 0 is C  d  0  A 
meter  
• Also units of 0 is

Coulomb2  1 q1q 2 1 q1q 2 

F   0  
Newton. meter 2  40 r 2 4 F r 2 

Farads Coulomb 2

meter Newton. meter 2
Coulomb 2
 Farads 
Newton. meter
Coulomb 2
 Farads 
Joule
Capacitors in series
• Capacitors are in series if connected one after the other
• Charges are the same on all plates in the series (even with
different capacitances)
• Potential difference is divided across the branches.
• If V1 and V2 are the Potential differences across the branches, then
V = V1 + V2
Q Q
 V     (1)
C1 C 2
If, Cs = Equivalent capacitance in a series connection, then
Q
V    (2)
Cs
Comparing equation (1) and (2) we get
Q Q Q 1 1 1
        (3)
Cs C1 C2 Cs C1 C2
1 1 1 1
In general,     .........
Cs C1 C2 C3
• The reciprocal of the equivalent capacitance of a series combination equals the sum of the
reciprocals of the individual capacitances.
• Cs is always LESS than the smallest capacitor in series
Capacitors in parallel
• Capacitors are connected in parallel between a and b. Potential
difference V is the same for all the capacitors.
• Charges on the capacitors are not same.

Q = Q1 + Q2
=> Q = C1 V+ C2V
=> Q = (C1 + C2)V ---------(1)
Let Cp is the equivalent capacitance of a parallel combination.

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 3

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

Then, Q = Cp V ---------(2)
Comparing the above equations we get
Cp V = (C1 + C2)V => C p = C 1 + C2
In general, Cp = C1 + C2 + C3 + ……..
• Thus, the equivalent capacitance of a parallel combination is the sum of the individual
capacitances.
• Cp is always MORE than largest capacitor in parallel
Energy stored in a capacitor
The electric potential energy stored in a charged capacitor is equal to the amount of work required to
charge it. When the capacitor is discharged, this stored energy is recovered as work done by electrical
forces.
Let, after the charging of the capacitor is completed
Q = final charge in the capacitor and V = final potential difference

So, V  Q
C
Let q and v be the charge and potential difference, respectively, at any instant during the charging
process;
q
Then v 
C
At this stage the work dw is required to transfer an additional element of charge dq.
So, dw = v dq
Q
1  q2 
Q
q q
 dw 
C
dq  W 0 C dq  W
C  2  0
1  Q 2 02  Q2
 W   
C  2 2 
W
2C
This work done is stored as potential energy in the capacitor. So the potential energy stored in a
capacitor is
1 Q2
U
2 C
• U increases with more stored charge;
• U is less for fixed charge on a larger capacitor
• Different forms of U

 Q2 Q2 1
U  U  U  QV
2C 2Q V 2
 CV 
2
 1
U  U  CV 2
2C 2
• So the potential energy stored in a capacitor is
1 Q2 1 1
U  QV  CV 2
2 C 2 2
A capacitor can be charged by moving electrons directly from one plate to another. This requires work
done against the electric field between the plates. Thus the energy is stored in the field in the region
between the plates.
Application
Most practical applications of capacitors take advantage of their ability to store and release energy.
 In electronic flash units used by photographers, the energy stored in a capacitor is released by
depressing the camera’s shutter button. This provides a conducting path from one capacitor
plate to the other through the flash tube. Once this path is established, the stored energy is
rapidly converted into a brief but intense flash of light.

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 4

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

 Springs in the suspension of an automobile help smooth out the ride by absorbing the energy
from sudden jolts and releasing that energy gradually.
 A capacitor in an electronic circuit can smooth out unwanted variations in voltage due to power
surges. In other applications, the energy is released more slowly.
Energy density (u):
The energy per unit volume in the space between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor with plate area
‘A’ and separation ‘d’ is called as energy density, denoted by ‘u’
So,
1  0 A 
  Ed 
1 1 2
CV 2 CV 2 
 u 
2 d 
u 2  u 2
volume Ad Ad
 AE d 2 2
1
 u 0 2
 u  0 E 2
2Ad 2
1
The energy density is u  0 E 2
2
This relationship of energy density is not only valid for a parallel-plate capacitor, but also valid for any
capacitor in vacuum and indeed for any electric field configuration in vacuum.
This result has an interesting implication. We think of vacuum as space with no matter in it, but vacuum
can nevertheless have electric fields and therefore energy. Thus “empty” space need not be truly empty
after all.
Dielectrics
Dielectrics are mostly non-conducting materials. Common examples of dielectrics are Vacuum, Air, Teflon,
Benzene, Mica, Glass, Glycerine, Water, etc. Most capacitors have dielectric sandwiched between the
conducting plates.
The capacity of a parallel capacitor when air/vacuum is in between the plates is
0 A
C0 
d
But when a sheet of dielectric is introduced between the plates then the capacitance becomes
A K 0 A
C   KC0
d d
Where, ε0 = permittivity of air/vacuum.
ε = permittivity of the material of the dielectric
K = dielectric constant
From the above equation it is clear that the capacitance of a capacitor of given dimensions is increased
by K times when dielectric is introduced between the plates compared to vacuum..

Original capacitance is C0  Q
V0
Q
Final capacitance is C 
V
The charge Q is the same in both cases.
Thus, Q  C0 V0  C V
 C0 V0  K C0 V
 V0  K V
V0
 V
K
Thus, the dielectric reduces VOLTAGE between plates by a factor K keeping Q constant.
This can be demonstrated by an electrometer.
Electrometer measures the potential difference as V0 when vacuum exist between two plates

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 5

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

But the electrometer measures potential difference as V when an uncharged sheet of dielectric is
inserted between the plates.
Here, V is smaller compared to V0. When the dielectric is removed, then the potential difference returns
to its original value V0. This shows that the original charges on the plates have not changed.

Thus a capacitor can sustain a higher potential difference by using dielectric in between the plates. So it
can store greater amounts of charge and energy.
Values of Dielectric Constant K at 20 0C
Material K Material K
Vacuum 1 Polyvinyl chloride 3.18
Air (1 atm) 1.00059 Plexiglas 3.40
Air (100 atm) 1.0548 Glass 5–10
Teflon 2.1 Neoprene 6.70
Polyethylene 2.25 Germanium 16
Benzene 2.28 Glycerine 42.5
Mica 3–6 Water 80.4
Mylar 3.1 Strontium titanate 310

Induced Charge and Polarization

When a dielectric material is inserted between the plates while the charge is kept constant, the potential
V
difference (V) between the plates decreases by a factor K i.e V  0
K
Therefore the electric field (E) between the plates must decrease by a factor K. It is given by
E0
E , Here Q is maintained constant
K
E0 is the vacuum value and E is the value with the dielectric.
The dielectric was originally electrically neutral and is still neutral.
Due to the presence of electric field the induced surface charges
arise as a result of redistribution of positive and negative charge
within the dielectric material, a phenomenon called polarization.
If, σi = induced surface charge density, and
σ = surface charge density on the capacitor plates
Then the net surface charge density on each plate is (σ – σi)
Now the electric field due to vacuum is

E0 
0
And the electric field due to dielectric is
  i E 0   i
E  
0 K 0

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 6

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

  0   i
 
K 0
 
    i  i   
K K
 1
 i    1  
 K
 1
Qi = Q  1  
 K
From the above equation it is clear that when K is very large, σ ≈ σi. So, the electric field and potential
difference are much smaller than their values in vacuum.

Dielectric breakdown
• If the electric field is strong enough, partial ionization of dielectric material takes place, and the
dielectric becomes a conductor. This is called dielectric breakdown.
• The dielectric strength is the maximum electric field the material can withstand before breakdown
occurs.
• Many dielectric materials can tolerate stronger electric fields without breakdown compared to air.
Thus using a dielectric allows a capacitor to sustain a higher potential difference and so store
greater amounts of charge and energy.

Conceptual Problems:
Test Your Understanding - 24.1:
A capacitor has vacuum in the space between the conductors. If you double the amount of charge on
each conductor, what happens to the capacitance?
(i) It increases; (ii) it decreases; (iii) it remains the same;
(iv) the answer depends on the size or shape of the conductors.
Answer: (iii)
The capacitance does not depend on the value of the charge Q. Doubling the value of Q causes the
potential difference Vab to double, so the capacitance C  Q remains the same. These statements are
Vab
true no matter what the geometry of the capacitor.

Test Your Understanding - 24.2:

You want to connect a 4μF capacitor and an 8μF capacitor.
(a) With which type of connection will the 4μF capacitor have a greater potential difference across it
than the 8μF capacitor?
(i) series; (ii) parallel; (iii) either series or parallel; (iv) neither series nor parallel.
(b) With which type of connection will the 4μF capacitor have a greater charge than the 8μF
capacitor?
(i) series; (ii) parallel; (iii) either series or parallel; (iv) neither series nor parallel.
Answers: (a) (i), (b) (iv)
(a) In a series connection the two capacitors carry the same charge Q but have different potential
differences Vab 
Q
C
Thus, the capacitor with the smaller capacitance C has the greater potential difference. Hence a
4μF capacitor will have a greater potential difference than an 8μF capacitor if the two are
connected in series.

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 7

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

(b) In a parallel connection the two capacitors have the same potential difference V ab but carry
different charges Q  C Vab

Thus the capacitor with the larger capacitance C has the greater charge. Hence the 8μF capacitor
carries more charge than the 4μF capacitor no matter how they are connected.
In a series connection they will carry the same charge, and in a parallel connection the 8μF
capacitor will carry more charge.
Test Your Understanding - 24.3:
You want to connect a 4μF capacitor and an 8μF capacitor. With which type of connection will the 4μF
capacitor have a greater amount of stored energy than the 8μF capacitor?
(i) series; (ii) parallel; (iii) either series or parallel; (iv) neither series nor parallel.
Answer: (i)
Capacitors connected in series carry the same charge Q.
2
We know that the amount of energy stored in a capacitor is U  1 Q .
2 C
It shows that the capacitor with the smaller capacitance (C = 4 μF) has more stored energy in a series
combination.
When capacitors are connected in parallel, they have the same potential difference V;
From the expression U  1 CV 2 it is clear that: the capacitor with the larger capacitance (C = 8 μF) has
2
more stored energy.
1
(If we had instead used U  CV 2 to analyze the series combination, we would have to account for the
2
different potential differences across the two capacitors.
1 Q2
Likewise, using U  to study the parallel combination would require us to account for the different
2 C
charges on the capacitors.)

Test Your Understanding - 24.4:

The space between the plates of an isolated parallel-plate capacitor is filled by a slab of dielectric with
dielectric constant K. The two plates of the capacitor have charges Q and – Q. You pull out the dielectric
slab. If the charges do not change, how does the energy in the capacitor change when you remove the
slab?
(i) It increases; (ii) it decreases; (iii) it remains the same.
Answer: (i)
2
Here Q remains the same, so we use U  1 Q for the stored energy.
2 C
We know that the dielectric lowers the capacitance by a factor of K.
Since U is inversely proportional to C, the stored energy increases by a factor of K. It takes work to pull
the dielectric slab out of the capacitor because the fringing field tries to pull the slab back in. The work
that you do goes into the energy stored in the capacitor.
In-class Problems:
Example 24.2: Properties of a parallel-plate capacitor
The plates of a parallel-plate capacitor in vacuum are 5.0mm. apart and 2.0m 2 in area. A10 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 = 2.00 m2 , d = 5.0 mm, V = 10 kV

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 8

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

0 A  8.85 x 10 F / m  2.00 m 
12 2
a) C   3.54 x 109 F
d 5 x 103 m
b) Q = CV = (3.54 x 10-9 F)(10 x 103V) = 3.54 x 10-5C

V 10 x 103 V
c) V Ed  E   3
 2.0 x 106 V / m
d 5.0 x 10 m
Example 24.6: A capacitor network
Find the equivalent capacitance of the five-capacitor network shown in figure.

Solution:
C1 C 2 12 x 6
Step-I Cs    4 F
C1  C 2 12  6

Step-II Cp = C1 + C2 + C3 = (3 + 11 + 4)μF = 18 μF

C1 C2 18 x 9
Step-III Cs    6 F
C1  C2 18  9

Example 24.10: A capacitor with and without a dielectric

Suppose the parallel plates in figure, each have an area of 0.2 m 2
and are 0.01m apart. We connect the capacitor to a power
supply, charge it to a potential difference V0 = 3 kV and
disconnect the power supply. We then insert a sheet of insulating
plastic material between the plates, completely filling the space
between them. We find that the potential difference decreases to
1.00 kV while the charge on each capacitor plate remains
constant.
Find a) the original capacitance C0
b) the magnitude of charge Q on each plate;
c) the capacitance C after the dielectric is inserted;
d) the dielectric constant K of the dielectric;
e) the permittivity of the dielectric;
f) the magnitude of the induced charge Qi on each face of the dielectric;
g) the original electric field E0 between the plates; and
h) the electric field E after the dielectric is inserted.
Solution: Given, A = 0.2 m2 ; d = 0.01m; V0 = 3 kV ;

a) C0 =
ε0 A

8.85 x 10 -12

F/m 0.2 m2   1.77 x 10
-10
F
d  0.1 m 
b)  
Q = C0 V0  1.77 F  3.0 x 1012 V  0.531 x 10-7 C
c) When the dielectric is inserted, Q is unchanged but the potential difference decreases to V = 1kV
Hence, the new capacitance is
Q 5.31 x 10-7 C
C=   5.31 x 10-10 F
V 1.0 x 103 V

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 9

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

d) The dielectric constant is

C 5.31 x 10-10 F Alternative method
K= =  3C
C0 1.77 x 10-10 F
E0 3.0 x 105V/m
e) The permittivity is E= =  1.0 x 105V/m
 
K 3.0
ε = K ε0  3 x 8.85 x 10-12 F/m  2.66 x 10-11 F/m

f) The induced charge is given Inserting the dielectric

 1

Qi = Q 1    5.31 x 10-7 C
 K
 1  3.01   3.54 x 10
-7
C
 the capacitance increased by a
factor of K = 3
 electric field between the plates is
(g) The magnitude of the uniform electric field between 1 1
the plates is given by reduced the by a factor of 
K 3
V0 3000 V Above things happens by developing
E0 = =  3.0 x 105V/m
d 1.0 x 10-2 m induced charges on the faces of the
dielectric of magnitude
(h) The magnitude of the electric field after the dielectric  1
is inserted is Qi = Q 1    0.667Q
 3
V 1000 V
E= = -2
 1.0 x 105V/m
d 1.0 x 10 m
Example 24.11 Energy storage with and without a dielectric
Find the energy stored in the electric field of the capacitor in Example 24.10 and the energy density, both
before and after the dielectric sheet is inserted.
Solution: Given, A = 0.2 m2 ; d = 0.01m; V0 = 3 kV ;
U0 = energies stored in the capacitor without dielectric
U = energies stored in the capacitor with dielectric in place
We know that
1 1
 
U0 = C0 V02 = 1.77 x 10-10 F  3000V   7.97 x 10-4 J
2 2
2

1 1
 
U = CV2 = 5.31 x 10-10 F 1000V   2.66 x 10-4 J
2 2
2

The energy density without dielectric is

0 E 02   8.85 x 10-12 F/m  3.0 x 105 N/C   0.398 J / m 3

1 1 2
u0 
2 2
The energy density with dielectric is

E   2.66 x 10-11 F/m 1.0 x 105 N/C   0.133 J / m 3

1 2 1 2
u
2 2
Comparing the energy densities we get
u0 0.398 J/m3
=  3
u 0.133 J/m3
Thus the energy density with the dielectric is one-third of the original energy density.
Alternative method:
Volume between the plates =V = (0.2 m 2)(0.01 m) = 0.002 m3

U0 7.97 x 10-4 J
u0    0.398 J / m3
volume 0.002 m3
U 2.66 x 10-4 J
u   0.133 J / m3
volume 0.002 m3

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 10

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

Assignment Problem
In the figure, each capacitor has C = 4 F and Vab = +28 V. Calculate
a) the charge on each capacitor;
b) the potential difference across each capacitor;
c) the potential difference between points ‘a’ and ‘d’.

Ans: C1 = C2, = C3 = C4 = 4 F, and Vab = + 28 V.

C12 = equivalent capacitance of C1and C2 which are in series

1 1 1 C  C2
   1
C12 C1 C2 C1C2

 C12 
C1C2

 4μF 4μF  16 μF2  2μF
C1  C2 4μF  4μF 8μF

C123 = equivalent capacitance of C12 and C3 which are in parallel

C123  C12  C3  2μF  4μF  6μF

C1234 = equivalent capacitance of C123 and 4 which are in series

C1234 
C123C4

 6μF 4μF  24 μF2  2.4μF
C123  C4 6μF  4μF 10μF

Now the charge across ‘a’ and ‘b’ is

Q1234 = Vab C1234 = (28 V)(2.4 x 10-6 F) = 67.2 x 10-6 C = 67.2 μC.

Going in the backward direction,

Q123 6.72 x 10-6 C

V123 =   11.2 V,
C123 6 x 10-6 F
Q4 6.72 x 10-6 C
V4 =   16.8 V
C4 4 x 10-6 F

V3 = V12 = 28 - V4  28 -16.8 = 11.2V

Q123 = C3V3   4 x 11.2  μF  44.8 μF
Q12 = C12 V12   2 x 11.2  μF  22.4 μF

Q1 = Q2 = Q12  22.4μC
Q1 22.4μC
V1    5.6V
C1 4μF
Q2 22.4μC
V2    5.6V
C2 4μF

a) Q1 = 22.4 μC, Q2 = 22.4 μC, Q3 = 44.8 μC, Q4 = 67.2 μC

b) V1 = 5.6 V, V2 = 5.6 V, V3 =11.2 V, V4 =16.8 V
c) Vad = V3 =11.2 V

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 11

UPEM - 2017 Capacitance and Dielectrics Chapter-24

24.35: A 12.5 F capacitor is connected to a power supply that keeps a constant potential difference
of 24 V across the plates. A piece of material having a dielectric constant of 3.75 is placed
between the plates, completely filling the space between them.
a) How much energy is stored in the capacitor before and after the dielectric is inserted?
b) By how much did the energy change during the insertion? Did it increase or decrease?
Ans.: C0 = 12.5 F, V = 24 V, K = 3.75
a) C = K C0 = 3.75 (12.5 F) = 46.9 F

Ubefore =
1
2
1
 
C0 V2  12.5 x 10-6C  24 V   3.6 x 10-3 J
2
2

1 1 1 
Uafter = C V 2  KC0 V 2  K  C0 V 2   K Ubefore  3.75 x 3.6 x 10 -3 J = 13.5 x 10 -3 J
2 2 2 
b) U =13.5 x 10-3 J − 3.6 x 10-3 J = 9.9 x 10-3 J.
Here the energy is increased.

Dr. Rajanikanta Parida/Physics/ITER/SOA University Page 12