Factors Affecting Capacitance

Galleria A capacitor is an electrical device designed for storing electric charge, generally consisting of
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Capacitance = 318.78 picoFarads
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The capacitance of a capacitor is affected by the area of the plates, the distance between the
BeerShots plates, and the ability of the dielectric to support electrostatic forces. This tutorial explores
Cocktail Collection how varying these parameters affects the capacitance of a capacitor. Larger plates provide
greater capacity to store electric charge. Therefore, as the area of the plates increase,
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Capacitance is directly proportional to the electrostatic force field between the plates. This
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field is stronger when the plates are closer together. Therefore, as the distance between the
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Dielectric materials are rated based upon their ability to support electrostatic forces in terms
of a number called a dielectric constant. The higher the dielectric constant the greater the
ability of the dielectric to support electrostatic forces. Therefore, as the dielectric constant
increases, capacitance increases.

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