Lab 5 Dielectric Constant of Paper

5.1 Goals

  1. Determine the dielectric constant of paper by varying either the capacitor area or capacitor separation distance based on your decision to have the most precise dielectric constant measurement.
  2. Devise a method to reduce the uncertainty of the dielectric constant as much as possible.

5.2 Prediction

  1. Derive an equation for the dielectric constant K, given the capacitance C, separation distance s, and the plate area A.

5.3 Procedure

  1. Build an aluminum-plate based capacitor and use paper as the dieletric.
  2. Make several measurements to accurately determine the dielectric constant through fitting, averaging, or another method.
  3. Time permitted, repeat the measurement for a different dielectric (plastic film, glass plate, etc.)

5.4 Graph

Include a graph that represents your data. It could be either a line graph or bar graph depending on your measurement.

5.5 Summary

Discuss your results of the dielectric constant for paper. Compare your results with the results from the class. Discuss the method you used to determine the dielectric constant. What is the best approach to minimize the uncertainty for this type of measurement?