Experiment 30.

Dielectric Constant
According to Maxwells equations, the dielectric constant of a material is a decisive factor in determining the velocity at which an electromagnetic wave propagates. For example, the speed of light through vacuum is determined by the permittivity of free space (0). When measured in air, as in Experiment 20, the permittivity of air leads to a very slight correction which is so small that it is neglected. However, if the speed of light is measured through different transparent solids (such as a glass) or liquids (such as water) then noticeable departures are found. The most readily observable consequence of this is the bending of light which occurs when it passes through a surface between two different mediums with different dielectric constants. The more commonly encountered index of refraction is simply another form of the dielectric constant used for these more mundane applications. Another closely related application of the dielectric constant is the relationship between charge and electric field described below. In this experiment, the dielectric constant of free space (actually, of air) is measured using a parallel plate capacitor according to Coulombs law using two parallel plates. 30.1 Coulombs law According to Coulombs law, the force between two charges is given by the equation A

C B

red G U2 U1 R V

black

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the measurement setup for measuring the dielectric constant.

q1q 2 r2

MEASURING INSTRUCTIONS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Set the frequency of the function generator to 10 kHz and adjust the amplitude as high as possible. Write down the exact frequency. Be sure that the generator is creating a sinusoidal wave. Connect the circuit as shown in Figure 1. Check that the red lead coming from the function generator is connected to the side of the capacitor on which is marked the scale. (The black lead of the function generator comes to the point M.) Use both the voltage meter and the oscilloscope for measurements (marked with V in the figure) Connect the voltage meter (20V scale) and oscilloscope between the points A and M and measure the voltage U2 coming from the function generator. Now connect them between points B and M. The meters now displays the voltage U1. Measure the voltage U1 with the following values for the air gap D: 60, 30, 20, 15, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 mm. Measure three separate sets of data: oscilloscope, multimeter 20V scale and 2000mV scale. Measure also the relative permittivity of the plastic plate by putting it tightly between the plates of the capacitor. Write down the voltage shown by the digital meter and oscilloscope, when the plate is in place and when it is removed. Measure the thickness of the plate. After the measurements switch of all voltages and disconnect the leads.

The equation has the identical form as Newtons law of gravitation and the constant C is analogous to the gravitational constant which determines the force between two masses. The dielectric constant 0 measured here is related to C:

C=

1 . 4 0

30.2 The capacitance of two parallel plates We have a capacitor consisting of two parallel conductive plates. If we move an electric charge Q from one plate to the other at a potential V, the capacitance of the pair may be calculated using the equation

Q V V d

The electric field which exists between the plate is simply

DURING THE MEASUREMENTS, BE CAREFUL NOT TO MOVE THE MEASURING LEADS. THE CAPACITANCE OF THE LEADS WILL CHANGE AND RUIN THE MEASUREMENTS. Instruction for preparing the laboratory report: Calculate different results for all three measurements (Oscilloscope, multimeter 20V and 2000mV.) Note: In this experiment, the permittivity cannot be determined by one measurement because the extra capacitance Clead produced by the measuring leads would be neglected. The error is avoided by calculating the capacitance of the plate capacitor C using the measured voltages.

where d is the distance between the plates. If the surface charge density is , then Gausss law says the potential difference and electric field between the plates is

Ed

d
0

If the plate area is A, then the total charge on the plate is Q=A. The plate capacitance is now

C=

Q A = V d/

=
0

0A

U1 1 2 2fR U 2 U 12
1 d

The measured capacitance C is plotted as a function of the inverse value of distance 1/d and a line results:

C = Clead + A

If the medium between the two plates is something besides free space, then it is necessary to replace e0 with the dielectric constant of the material. Usually this is expressed using the term relative dielectric, r =/0, where is the dielectric constant of the material and r is its relative dielectric value. The relative dielectric is therefore a unitless number usually in the range of 1 to 20.

The permittivity o can be found from the slope of the line and the error boundaries using the error lines. Relative permittivity is determined by substituting the capacitance of the measuring leads from the measured capacitance (formula 1.3 in the book):

C C lead C o Clead