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PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
2025-26
TOPIC: STUDY OF CAPACITANCE WITH
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
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Certificate
This is to certify that this project‘ STUDY
OF CAPACITANCE WITH DIELECTRIC
MATERIALS’ is the result of efforts put in
by “Shaik Daniya Ara” studying in the
institution “Army public school RK
Puram “and appearing for Practical
Examination CBSE 2025 – 2026 for
PHYSICS.
Internal Examiner Principal External
Examiner
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to
my Biology teacher Mr [Link] Sir for
the help and guidance she provided for
completing the Investigatory Project on
the topic ’STUDY OF CAPACITANCE
WITH DIELECTRIC MATARIAL’ I also
thank my family who ga0ve their ideas
and inputs in making this project.
Most of all, I thank our Principal,
[Link] Rai for providing the
encouragement that has made this
Project successful.
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INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
STUDY OF CAPACITANCE WITH DIELECTRIC
MATERIALS
SHAIK DANIYA ARA
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Index
1. Objective
2. Introduction
3. Theory and Working Principle
4. What is a Dielectric?
5. Materials Used
6. Apparatus Required
7. Experimental Setup
8. Procedure
9. Observations
10. Calculations
11. Graphs and Charts
12. Result
13. Precautions
14. Applications of Capacitors with Dielectrics
15. Conclusion
16. Bibliography
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Objective
To study the effect of different dielectric materials—
such as paper, plastic, and glass—on the capacitance of
a parallel plate capacitor.
Introduction
Capacitance is the ability of a system to store electric
charge. A capacitor is an electronic component that
stores electric energy in an electric field. The amount of
charge a capacitor can hold depends on the area of the
plates, distance between them, and the medium
(dielectric) between them.
In this project, we will investigate how inserting
different dielectric materials between the plates of a
capacitor affects its capacitance.
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Theory and Working
Principle
The capacitance CCC of a parallel plate capacitor is
given by:
Where:
When a dielectric material is introduced between the
plates, the effective capacitance increases by a factor of
its dielectric constant
A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in
an electric field. The simplest form is a parallel plate
capacitor, which consists of two conductive plates
separated by an insulating material (called a dielectric).
When a voltage is applied across the plates, positive and
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negative charges accumulate on the plates, creating an
electric field between them.
Key Formula:
Where:
Role of Dielectric:
Without a dielectric, air is the medium. When
a dielectric material is inserted, it increases the
capacitance because the dielectric reduces the
effective electric field, allowing more charge to be
stored for the same applied voltage. This is due to
polarization within the dielectric material.
What is a Dielectric?
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A dielectric is a non-conductive (insulating) material
that can be polarized when placed in an electric field.
Unlike conductors, dielectrics do not allow the flow of
free electrons, but their internal molecular structure
shifts slightly in response to an electric field.
How It Works:
When a dielectric is placed between the plates of a
capacitor, the electric field induces microscopic
dipoles within the material.
These dipoles oppose the external electric field,
effectively reducing it.
As a result, the voltage across the plates drops,
allowing the capacitor to hold more charge at the
same applied voltage—hence, increased
capacitance.
Common Dielectric Materials and Constants:
Approx. Dielectric Constant (εr\
Material
varepsilon_rεr)
Air 1.0
Paper 2.0 – 3.0
Plastic 2.1 – 3.5 (varies by type)
Glass 4.0 – 10.0 (varies by type)
Mica ~6
Ceramic 6 – 10,000 (depending on composition)
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Important Properties of
Dielectrics:
High resistivity (non-conductive)
High dielectric strength (ability to withstand
electric fields without breaking down)
Low dielectric loss (to reduce energy dissipation
as heat)
Types of Dielectric Materials:
1. Polar Dielectrics: Molecules have a permanent
electric dipole (e.g., water).
2. Non-Polar Dielectrics: Molecules do not have
permanent dipoles, but can be polarized (e.g.,
plastic, glass).
A dielectric is an insulating material that increases a
capacitor’s capacitance by reducing the effective
electric field. Common dielectrics include:
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Materials Used
Parallel plate capacitor model
DC power supply (battery)
Multimeter or capacitance meter
Dielectric sheets (paper, plastic, glass)
Ruler or vernier caliper
Connecting wires
Apparatus Required
[Link] Apparatus Quantity
1 Parallel plate capacitor 1
2 Dielectric sheets 1 each
3 Capacitance meter 1
4 DC Battery (6V or 9V) 1
5 Connecting wires As required
Experimental Setup
Two aluminum or copper plates are fixed parallel to
each other with a small gap in between. The plates are
connected to a capacitance meter or multimeter. The
dielectric materials are inserted between the plates one
at a time, and the change in capacitance is recorded.
Procedure
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1. Connect the capacitor plates to the capacitance
meter.
2. Measure the initial capacitance without any
dielectric.
3. Insert a sheet of paper fully between the plates.
4. Record the new capacitance value.
5. Repeat the steps with plastic and then glass sheets.
6. Repeat each measurement 2–3 times for accuracy.
Observations
Measured
Dielectric Dielectric Constant (εr\
Capacitance
Material varepsilon_rεr)
(nF)
Air (no
1.0 22
dielectric)
Paper ~2.5 55
Plastic ~2.2 48
Glass ~5.0 110
Calculations
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Graphs and Charts
Capacitance vs Dielectric Constant
A bar graph can be drawn showing dielectric material
(x-axis) vs capacitance (y-axis) to show the increase in
capacitance with dielectric strength.
Result
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The experiment confirms that inserting a dielectric
material increases the capacitance of a parallel plate
capacitor. The increase is proportional to the dielectric
constant of the material used.
Precautions
Ensure plates are parallel and properly aligned.
Use uniform, clean dielectric sheets.
Avoid air gaps when placing dielectrics.
Measure multiple times for accuracy.
Applications of Capacitors
with Dielectrics
Energy storage devices (batteries, power banks)
Tuning circuits in radios and TVs
Filters in electronic devices
Medical equipment like ECG machines
Memory storage in RAM
Conclusion
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This experiment demonstrates that dielectric materials
significantly affect the capacitance of a capacitor. The
higher the dielectric constant, the greater the ability of
the material to store electric charge. This property is
used extensively in electronic and electrical
engineering.
Bibliography
NCERT Physics Class 12 Textbook
S.L. Arora: Concepts of Physics
[Link]
[Link]
Wikipedia – Capacitance and Dielectrics
