Vacuum Permittivity and Dielectric Constant (14:12)
In this lesson, Mr. P and the class take a deeper look at vacuum permittivity and the dielectric constant. Starting with a parallel plate capacitor in a vacuum, the lesson explains what happens at the molecular level when a dielectric is inserted between the plates — specifically, how the insulating material becomes polarized, inducing an electric field that opposes the original field and reduces the net electric field between the plates. From there, the dielectric constant is defined as the ratio of a material's electric permittivity to the electric permittivity of free space, the Coulomb Constant is expressed in terms of vacuum permittivity, and connections are drawn to Gauss's Law and the speed of light.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction and Review
1:29 Charging the Capacitor and Adding a Dielectric
3:38 Polarization and the Induced Electric Field
5:11 Deriving Vacuum Permittivity
9:28 The Dielectric Constant and Electric Permittivity
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction and Review
1:29 Charging the Capacitor and Adding a Dielectric
3:38 Polarization and the Induced Electric Field
5:11 Deriving Vacuum Permittivity
9:28 The Dielectric Constant and Electric Permittivity
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