Capacitance JNV KEONJHAR ODISHA Physics-XII

Free Charge and Bound Charge dV

The charges or valance electrons which are loosely As E   and E=0 ,then dV =0 . Hence V
dr
bound with nucleus are known as free charges. remains constant.
 Free charges are also known as conduction 5. Electric field at the surface of a charged
electrons.  
 Free charges can move one region to another conductor E  n where  : is the surface charge
0
region under action electric field. 
 Free charges mostly found in conductor. density is and is n a unit vector normal to the
The charges which are tightly held either by nucleus surface in the outward direction.
due electrostatic force or take part in covalence 6. Electrostatic shielding: Electric field inside a
bond. metallic cavity is zero.
 Generally found in insulating material in
form of covalence bond or electrons in inner
orbits of atom.
 The charges observed near face of a body
under induction are also can be said as
bound charge. DIELECTRICS
ELECTROSTATICS OF CONDUCTORS The insulating material is known as dielectrics.
1. Inside a conductor, electrostatic field is zero  They have no free charge carriers.
Types of Dielectric: Two types
(i) Polar dielectric (ii) non polar dielectric
(i) Polar Dielectric molecule: A polar molecule is
one in which the centers of positive and negative
charges are separated.
 Polar molecule behaves as an electric dipole and
possesses permanent dipole moment.
The free charges redistributed and so arranged due  Example: HCl and H2O
to external electric field , it create another electric
field inside the conductor in opposite direction of
external electric field and cancel out.
2. At the surface of a charged conductor,
electrostatic field must be normal to the
surface at every point.
If electric field will not be normal , then there  A material made up polar molecules known as
will component of electric field tangent to polar dielectric.
surface. It will make the charges flow on the  In the absence of any external field, the
surface creating surface current. different permanent dipoles in a polar dielectric
3. The interior of a conductor can have no are oriented randomly due to thermal agitation;
excess charge in the static situation. so the total dipole moment is zero.
According to Gauss law of electrostatics,
 When an external field is applied, the
electric flux through any closed surface
individual dipole moments tend to align with the
enclosing an elementary volume inside the
field.
conductor is zero due to zero electric field. So
 When summed over all the molecules, there is
q=0
then a net dipole moment in the direction of the
4. Electrostatic potential is constant throughout the
external field, i.e., the dielectric is polarized
volume of the conductor and has the same value
(as inside) on its surface.

Purna Chandra Bhuyan, PGT Physics.

Capacitance JNV KEONJHAR ODISHA Physics-XII
 Thermal energy tending to disrupt the
alignment.
 The dipole moment per unit volume is called
polarization and is denoted by P.
Polarisation of a Rectangular Slab:

 Ex: HCl and water (H2O) are polar molecules.

Non-polar Molecule: The molecules in which
centre of positive charge coincides with the centre
of negative charges. Or there is no charge
separation are known as non polar molecules.
 The molecule does not carry permanent (or
intrinsic) dipole moment.
 Examples: oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2)
molecules

The material made of non polar molecules is known

as non polar dielectrics.
A non polar dielectric doesn’t have any dipole
moment.
Action of External Electric Field:
 In an external electric field, the positive and
negative charges of a non-polar molecule are
displaced in opposite directions.
 The non-polar molecule thus develops an Consider a rectangular dielectric slab placed in a
induced dipole moment. The dielectric is said to uniform external field E0 parallel to two of its faces.
be polarized by the external field. The field causes a uniform polarization P of the
dielectric. The net charge in the out lined volume is
zero. This is, because, the positive charge of one
dipole sits close to the negative charge of the
adjacent dipole.
 The positive ends of the dipoles remain
unneutralised at the right surface and the
negative ends at the left surface.
 Thus the polarised dielectric is equivalent to two
Polarization is defined as development of induced charged surfaces with induced surface charge
dipole moment in a dielectric either due to densities, say + σpand – σp.
reorientation or stretching of molecules under action  The field produced by these surface charges
of an external electric field. opposes the external field.
Factors affecting Polarisation  Now, the total field in the dielectric is reduced
 Strength of external field: The dipole  The surface charge density ±σp arises from
potential energy in the external field tending to bound (not free charges) in the dielectric.
align the dipoles with the field Net Electric field due to polarization:
E = external electric field –induced electric field
Purna Chandra Bhuyan, PGT Physics.
 Capacitance JNV KEONJHAR ODISHA Physics-XII
Capacitors and Capacitance  When Q is one coulombs (C) and V is one volts(V) then the
S.I. unit of capacitance is one farads(F)
 1F=1 coulomb/volt
 One farad is the capacitance of very large capacitor Practical
units:
 microfarad (1μF=10-6) or picofarad(1pF=10-12)

The Parallel Plate Capacitor

A parallel plate capacitor consists of two large plane parallel
conducting plates separated by a small distance.
A capacitor (formerly known as condenser) is a device that Capacitance of Parallel Capacitor
can store electric charge and energy.
Symbols of fixed and variable capacitors.

 It is a system of two conductors separated by an insulator

or kept vacuum.

Let V=V+ -V- be potential difference between two Case-1 (When space between plates kept vacuum)
conductors. Let A- be the area of each plate,
Experimentally, It has been seen, Q∝V. d- the separation between the plates (d2<<A), and
So, Q=CV, where the proportionality constant C is Q and –Q charges of the two plates.
called the capacitance of the capacitor. Q
Capacitance :( C) Plate 1 has surface charge density   and plate 2 has a
A
We have C 
Q surface charge density   .
V
Capacitance of a capacitor can be defined as amount of charge Electric field in Outer regions I and II
stored to raise a potential one volt.  
Or Electric field, E  0
It defined as ratio of charge stored and potential difference 2 0 2 0
raised between two plates of a capacitor. Electric field in region between the plates 1 & 2,

Electric fields due to the two charged plates are uniform

nature and given as
 
E 
2 0 2 0

E
0
Q  Q
E
A 0    A 
Now, potential difference between the plates
V  Ed
Q
V d
 Capacitance of any capacitor depends on shape, size and A 0
geometrical arrangement of the conductors and independent of The capacitance C of the parallel plate capacitor is then
Q and V.
Q 0 A
Unit of capacitance: C 
farad (F) or coulomb/volt V d
Purna Chandra Bhuyan, PGT Physics.
Capacitance JNV KEONJHAR ODISHA Physics-XII
Case-2:
Potential difference between two plates
(When a dielectric is filled in space between the plates)
V  Et  E0 (d  t )
E
Or, V  0 t  E0 (d  t )
K
t 
Or, V  E 0   (d  t )
K 
 t 
Or, V   (d  t )

0 K 
Electric field in space between two plates kept vacuum. Q t 
Or, V   (d  t )
 
0 A K 
Eo 
0 Q
When a dielectric is introduced, the reduced electric field due Now, C 
V
E0  0 A
to polarization of dielectric constant K, is E  C
K K 0 Or,
t
Therefore, potential difference between two plates  (d  t )
V=Ed K
0 A
Or, V
Q
d Or, C 
KA 0 1
d  t (  1)
Q K
Now capacitance, C  0 A
V Or, C 
K 0 A  t 1 
d 1  (  1)
C  d K 
d
Definition of dielectric constant: - It is ratio of capacitance C0
Or, C 
of a parallel plate capacitor when space between two plates is  t 1 
filled with that medium and capacitance, when space is kept 1  d ( K  1)
vacuum.
C Special Case:
K  When t=d , C  KC0
C0
Case-3: When a Dielectric of Thickness‘t’ is Introduced  When medium is conductor K=∞ and t=d , then C=∞
Between Two Plates (t<d) 0 A
 When medium is air K =1 , C 
d
Combination of capacitors:Capacitors in Series

The electric field in the region between the space having air or When one terminal of a capacitor connected to another
 terminal and so on, the connection is said to be series
vacuum is Eo  connection.
0 Let capacitorsC1 and C2 combined in series.
The reduced electric field in the region of thickness t filled  In the series combination, charges on the two plates (±Q)
with dielectric medium of dielectric constant K is are the same on each capacitor.
E0   Potential difference across different capacitor are
E  different.
K K 0

Purna Chandra Bhuyan, PGT Physics.

Capacitance JNV KEONJHAR ODISHA Physics-XII
 But , the total potential drop V across the combination is Let the equivalent capacitor stores charge Q and potential
the sum of the potential drops V1 and V2 across C1 and C2, difference be V.
respectively.
So. V = V1 + V2 ---------(i) Q = Q1+ Q2
Q Q =C1V + C2V
We have V1  and V2 
C1 C2 = (C1+ C2 )V ….(1)
Let C be the effective capacitance, then Q=CV …. (2)
Q Q
Subtitling V1and V2 in equation (i) . V  
 C  C 
From (1) and (2), the effective capacitance C is, C = C1 + C2
 1 2 
Similarly, effective capacitance C for parallel combination of
 1 1  n capacitors
Or, V  Q
 C  C  C = C1 + C2+ ... Cn
 1 2 

V  1 1 
Or,     ------------------ (ii) ENERGY STORED IN A CAPACITOR
Q  C1 C2  Electrostatic potential energy
Let Cs be effective capacitance of combination and with 1 Q2
charge Q and potential difference V, then U
2 C
Q
Cs  1
U  CV 2 We have Q=CV
V 2
V 1
Or  --------------------------- (iii) 1
U  QV
Q Cs 2
1  1 1   U independent of the manner in which the charge
From (ii) and (iii)    
C s  C1 C2 
configuration of the capacitor is built up.
 When the capacitor discharges, this stored-up energy is
Therefore effective capacitance of n capacitors connected in released.
1  1 1 1   The potential energy of the capacitor as ‘stored’ in the
series is     ...........   form electric field or electrostatic potential energy.
C s  C1 C2 Cn 
Capacitors In Parallel
When one terminal of each capacitors are connected to one
point and second terminals of all capacitors are connected to
another point , such connection is said parallel connection.
In Parallel Connection

 Potential difference is applied across all the capacitors is

same and equal to potential difference across
combination.
 Charges in different capacitors are different.
 The sum of charges stored in individual capacitors is
equal to the charge stored in the combination.

Let us consider two capacitors C1 and C2 are connected in

parallel.
Let charges (±Q1) on capacitor 1 and the plate charges (±Q2)
on the capacitor 2 .

Now, Q1 = C1V , Q2 = C2V

Purna Chandra Bhuyan, PGT Physics.