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Capacitance of a Parallel Plate Capacitor

C=εrε0Ad
A
d
εr
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The Capacitance of a Cylindrical Capacitor equation describes the capacitance of two parallel plates of equal area A and with separation d. We're working under the assumption that the plates are much longer and wider than the distance that separates them.  This equation can be derived from Gauss's Law and the relation q = CV 1.  

 /attachments/216054e8-223a-11e6-9770-bc764e2038f2/Parallel Plate Capacitor.pngA somewhat abstract representation of a capacitor

Variables

  • A - the area of each plate
  • d - the distance between the plates
  • εr - The Dielectric Constant, a.k.a. Relative Permittivity, of the material between the shells. For more info, click here.

For some common dielectric constants, please see this Dielectric Constant lookup equation.

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  1. ^ Walker, Jearl, David Halliday, and Robert Resnick. "Capacitance." Fundamentals of Physics. 8E ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2008. 660. Print.