Laboratory Worksheet.

General Physics 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Lab Activity 4
Capacitance and Dielectrics 30 minutes

Let’s Review
The most common example of a capacitor that we usually encounter is a battery. Once
connected to a load, batteries give off current and let charges flow between the terminals.
Essentially, capacitors are described as devices that store electric potential energy and
electric charges, while dielectrics are known to be insulators that are usually placed in
between two conducting surfaces.

Moreover, a constant value resulting from the ratio of the charge in each conductor to the
potential difference between them is called the capacitance. The capacitance of a material
is dependent on the shape and size of the conductors in use and the presence of any

insulating material between them. Mathematically, it can be expressed as where

Q is the total charge on each surface, and ΔV is the potential difference between two
conducting surfaces. We use the unit farad as a measure of capacitance. One farad (F) is
also equal to 1 coulomb/volt.

The presence of a dielectric in between the gaps of the capacitor plates can increase the
capacitance by a factor, k. Different insulating materials have corresponding dielectric
constant values. The values of the dielectric constant are shown in Table. 4.1.

Table. 4.1. Dielectric constants of various materials

Material Dielectric constant, k

vacuum 1

air 1.00054

paper 1.5-3.0

rubber 2.8

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Laboratory Worksheet.
General Physics 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

acetate 2.9-4.5

nylon 3.5

vinyl 4.0

The symbol used to represent a capacitor in a circuit diagram reflects well their physical
characteristics. For example, common capacitors have no polarity and are represented by
two straight lines while electrolytic capacitors which should be connected correctly
depending on their polarity are drawn with a curved line for its negative terminal as shown
in Fig. 4.1.

Fig. 4.1. Circuit symbols of common (left) and polarized capacitors (right).

Objectives
At the end of this laboratory activity, the students should be able to investigate the
properties of parallel plate capacitors with and without the presence of a dielectric.

Materials
● 2 parallel plate capacitors
● multimeter
● alligator clips
● wires
● ruler
● 3 sheets of paper
● white mesh nylon
● 3 sheets of cellulose acetate
● scientific calculator

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Laboratory Worksheet.
General Physics 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Procedure
Part A: Capacitance vs Plate Separation
1. Place the parallel plate capacitor 1 cm apart from each other and connect it to a
multimeter. Refer to Fig. 4.2.

Fig. 4.2. Parallel plate capacitor setup

Reminder
Make sure the parallel capacitor plates are well connected to the
multimeter to measure the correct capacitance values.

2. Measure its capacitance using the multimeter and record the value in Table 4.2.
3. Repeat Step 2 for five other separation distances - 3 cm, 6 cm, 9 cm, and 12 cm.
4. Calculate the capacitance using the dielectric constant for air that can be found in
Table 4.2. Use the the formula

where
k is the dielectric constant,
A is the surface area of the parallel plate capacitor,

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Laboratory Worksheet.
General Physics 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

d is the separation between the two plates, and

𝜀0 is the permittivity of free space constant (8.85✕10-12 C2/Nm2).
5. Record the calculated values as theoretical capacitance and compare it with the
measured values in the previous column of Table 4.2.

Part B: Capacitance with Dielectrics

1. Set up the parallel plate capacitors using a 3-cm distance between them.
2. Hold constant the sheets of paper in between the plates. (NOTE: You can adjust the
distance of the plates if it is too far. Just make sure to record it.)
3. Read the measured capacitance and record it in Table 4.3.

4. Using the measured capacitance and the capacitance equation, ,

calculate the dielectric constant with the materials used.
5. Repeat the steps above but this time using the white mesh nylon and the cellulose
acetate.
6. Compare the computed k values to the theoretical ones in Table 4.1.

Data and Results

Table 4.2. Capacitance values at different separation distances

Separation distance, d Measured Capacitance, C Theoretical Capacitance,

(cm) (F) C (F)

12

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Laboratory Worksheet.
General Physics 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Table 4.3. Capacitance values with various dielectrics

Dielectric Materials

Paper Nylon Acetate

Separation
distance, d (cm)

Measured
Capacitance, C (F)

Computed
Dielectric
Constant, k

Theoretical
Dielectric
Constant, k

Calculations

Calculate the theoretical and experimental capacitance value using the formula .

Lab Activity 4. Capacitance and Dielectrics 5

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Physics 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Guide Questions
Answer the following questions.
1. How are the measured capacitance values in Table 4.3 different from the calculated
capacitance values? Explain your answer.

2. How do your computed values compare with the theoretical dielectric constant
values from Table 4.3?

3. Do you think the capacitance of the parallel plates depends on the thickness of the
dielectric material present? Explain your answer.

4. What do you think will happen with the dielectric inserted if the plates were
charged?

Lab Activity 4. Capacitance and Dielectrics 6

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Physics 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Conclusion

Bibliography
Bauer, W., and Gary D. Westfall. University Physics with Modern Physics. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2013.

Hewitt, Paul G. 2010. Conceptual Physics (11th ed). New York: Pearson Education.

Knight, Randall Dewey. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: a Strategic Approach with Modern
Physics. Pearson, 2017.

Serway, Raymond A. and John W. Jewett, Jr. Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern
Physics (9th ed). USA: Brooks/Cole, 2014.

Young, Hugh D., Roger A. Freedman, and A. Lewis Ford. Sears and Zemansky’s University
Physics with Modern Physics (13th ed). USA: Pearson Education, 2012.

“Capacitors.” www.iit.edu. Accessed April 27, 2020.

https://www.iit.edu/sites/default/files/2019-11/lab-4-capacitors-f14.pdf.

“Physics 42 Lab: Capacitance and Dielectrics.” srjcstaff.santarosa.edu. Accessed April 27,

2020. http://srjcstaff.santarosa.edu/~lwillia2/42/42Lab5CAP.pdf.

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