Question

Dielectrics play an important role in design of capacitors. The molecules of a dielectric may be polar or non-polar. When a dielectric slab is placed in an external electric field, opposite charges appear on the two surfaces of the slab perpendicular to electric field. Due to this an electric field is established inside the dielectric. The capacitance of a capacitor is determined by the dielectric constant of the material that fills the space between the plates. Consequently, the energy storage capacity of a capacitor is also affected. Like resistors, capacitors can also be arranged in series and/or parallel.

A parallel plate capacitor is charged by a battery. The battery is then disconnected and the plates of the charged capacitor are then moved farther apart. In the process :

A parallel plate capacitor is an arrangement of two identical metal plates kept parallel, a small distance apart. The capacitance of a capacitor depends on the size and separation of the two plates and also on the dielectric constant of the medium between the plates. Like resistors, capacitors can also be arranged in series or parallel or a combination of both. By virtue of electric field between the plates, charged capacitors store energy.

Using Gauss's law, show that the electric field E at a point due to a uniformly charged infinite plane sheet is given by E = σ/(2ε₀) n̂ where symbols have their usual meanings.