A parallel plate capacitor is to be designed with a voltage rating of , using a material of dielectric constant 3 and dielectric strength of about . (Dielectric strength is the maximum electric field a material can tolerate without breakdown, i.e., without starting to conduct electricity through partial ionisation.) For safety, we should like the field never to exceed, say of the dielectric strength. What minimum area of the plates is required to have a capacitance of ?

Vinay

3 years ago

Solution:

Voltage rating of the parallel plate capacitor, .

Dielectric constant,

Dielectric strength

For reasons of safety, the field should never exceed, say, ten percent of the dielectric strength, or .of dielectric strength

Capacitance of capacitor,

Distance between the plates, Area of the plate,

Therefore, the minimum area of the plates evaluated is,