Parallel Plate Capacitor Calculator

The Formula

The formula for calculating the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is:

\[C = \frac{\varepsilon_0 \varepsilon A}{d}\]

Where:

• C: Capacitance (in Farads, F)
• ε₀: Permittivity of free space (8.854 × 10⁻¹² F/m)
• ε: Dielectric constant of the material between the plates
• A: Area of overlap of the two plates (in square meters, m²)
• d: Separation between the plates (in meters, m)

Calculation Steps

1. Identify the plate area (A), plate separation (d), and dielectric constant (ε)
2. Insert these values into the formula:
3. C = (ε₀ × ε × A) / d
4. Perform the calculation to get the result in Farads

Example Calculation

Let's calculate the capacitance for a parallel plate capacitor with plate area 1 m², separation 0.001 m, and a dielectric constant of 1 (air):

\[C = \frac{(8.854 \times 10^{-12} \times 1 \times 1)}{0.001} = 8.854 \times 10^{-9} F = 8.854 nF\]

Visual Representation

This visual shows a parallel plate capacitor with the dimensions and properties from our example calculation.