When a material (such as that used in a capacitor) is placed in an electric field, it becomes polarised and charges appear at its surfaces which tend to screen the interior from the external field. The tendency to polarise is measured by the dielectric constant.

The property of an insulation which determines the electrostatic energy stored per unit volume for unit potential gradient. It is expressed as a ratio. "K" for air is 1.0, while that for polyethylene is 2.2 times that of air. It is also referred to as a Specific Inductive Capacity or Permitivity.

an intrinsic property of a substance that indicates the amount of charge induced in the substance when it is placed in an electric field.

The ratio of the capacitance (ability to store electrical energy) of a condenser filled with the material in question to that of the same condenser filled with vacuum.

The ratio of the capacity of a condenser with given dielectric and the capacity of the same condenser with a vacuum as a dielectric.

The ratio of a given dielectric to the dielectric value of air.

a ratio of the capacitance of one material to a reference standard.

A material characteristic expressed as the capacitance between two plates when the intervening space is filled with a given insulating material divided by the capacitance of the same plate arrangement when the space is filled with air or is evacuated.

Also called permittivity. That property of a dielectric which determines the amount of electrostatic energy that can be stored by the material when a given voltage is applied to it. Actually, the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor using the dielectric to the capacitance of an identical capacitor using a vacuum as a dielectric.

A measure of the degree to which the material can be polarized, or the ease with which electric intensity can be induced in the presence of an electric displacement vector. Ratio of the permittivity of a material to that of free space.

Electrical property of a material that describes its behavior in an electric field. The dielectric constant of the dielectric is the most important design parameter for coaxial cables and determines dimensions, losses and propagation characteristics.

The ratio of the capacitance with a particular material separating the plates of a capacitor

a measure of the interaction of an oscillating electric field (changes sign from positive to negative etc

Relative electrical permittivity of a material as compared to a perfect vacuum.

A numeral that expresses the degree of non-conductivity of different substances, with full vacuum defined as 1.0.

For a given dielectric (nonmetallic) material, the ratio of electrical capacitance of a dielectric- filled capacitor to a vacuum capacitor of identical dimensions.

Property of a material representing the ability to store electromagnetic energy.

A value that indicates the quality of a material to resist holding a charge when placed between two conductors. When a given voltage is applied to it.

The property of a material that determines the amount of electrostatic energy that is stored per unit volume per unit voltage gradient. Relative dielectric constant relates this ability for a given material to that of a vacuum.

Is the ratio of permittivity of the material to that of a vacuum (referred to as relative permittivity).

The ratio of the capacity of a condenser made with a particular dielectric material to the capacity of the same condenser with air as the dielectric. Measured at a frequency of 106 cycles per second.

Another name for relative permittivity.

see "K" Constant (capital "K"!)

The ratio of the capacitance using the material in question as the dielectric, to the capacitance resulting when the material is replaced by air. A low electric constant material results in a low cable capacitance for a given size.

The ratio of the permitivity of the material to the permitivity of free space. The value specified is for the "free" condition (i.e., unclamped and well below the mechanical resonance of the part).

The term used to describe a material's ability to store charge when used as a capacitor dielectric. It is the ratio of the charge that would be stored with free space to that stored with the material in question as the dielectric.

Dielectric constant or permittivity () is an index of the ability of a substance to attenuate the transmission of an electrostatic force from one charged body to another. The lower the value, the greater the attenuation. The standard measurement apparatus utilizes a vacuum whose dielectric constant is 1. In reference to this, various materials interposed between the charged terminal have the following value at 20 °C: air 1.00058 glass 3 benzene 2.3 acetic acid 6.2 ammonia 15.5 ethanol 25 glycerol 56 water 81 The exceptionally high value for water accounts for its unique behaviour as a solvent and in electrolytic solutions. Dielectric constant values decrease as the temperature rises.

The ratio of the capacitance of a condenser with dielectric between the electrodes to the capacitance when air is between the electrodes. Also called Permitivity and Specific Inductive Capacity.

That property of a dielectric that determines the electrostatic energy stored per unit volume for unit potential gradient. Also called permittivity and specific inductive capacity.

Electrical property of matter that influences radar returns; also referred to as complex dielectric constant.

A property that is a measure of the ability of an insulating medium to store electrostatic energy. Numerically, the dielectric constant of an insulating material is the ratio of the capacitance value when using the material, to the capacitance value of the same geometry (area and thickness) component but using vacuum as an insulator.

The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light traveling through a specified non-conductive material.

The ratio of a capacitor's capacitance with a given dielectric to the same capacitor having a vacuum as a dielectric.

That property (K) of an insulating material which is the ratio of the parallel capacitance (C) of a given configuration of electrodes with the material as the dielectric, to the capacitance of the same electrode configuration with a vacuum as the dielectric.

a comparison of a material's insulation capability to that of air

That property of a dielectric which determines the electrostatic energy per unit volume for unit potential grade.

the ratio of capacitance with a dielectric between the plates to the capacitance with a vacuum between the plates (see equation 17.13)

A measure of the ability of a material to store ge when an electric field is applied.

The property of the dielectric material that determines how much electric energy can be stored in a capacitor of a particular size by a value of applied voltage.

Relative permittivity. A measure of the relative ability of a material to store electric charge for a given applied field strength. Dielectrics are considered non-conductors. A state of electric stress can exist between two conductors separated by a dielectric without a continuous supply of energy from outside the system. For an isotropic medium, the dielectric constant is the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor filled with a given medium to that of the same capacitor having only a vacuum as dielectric.

The ratio of electric flux density to electric field.

The ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor with the given dielectric to the capacitance of a capacitor having air for its dielectric but otherwise identical.

The property of a dielectric which determines the electrostatic energy stored per unit volume for a unit potential gradient.

The relative permittivity of a material. Indicates the ability of a material to store electrical energy when a voltage is applied to it.

When electrical energy is applied in a circuit, the insulating material of the electrical charge and releases it when the current is broken. Capacitance is the ratio of charge absorbed to the potential (voltage applied). Dielectric Constance is the ratio of an insulator's capacitance to that of dry air. (1.0). A dielectric constant of 5 means an insulator will absorb 5 times more electrical energy than air.

A measure of the ability of dielectric material to establish an electric field.

See relative permittivity.

Normally the relative dielectric constant; for practical purposes, the ratio of the capacitance of an assembly of two electrodes separated solely by a plastics insulating material to its capacitance when the electrodes are separated by air (ASTM D150-59T)

The ratio of the capacitance of a material (or insulator) to the capacitance of air. A dielectric constant of 4 means an insulator will absorb 4 times more electrical energy than air.

The relative dielectric constant of a material under given conditions is a measure of the extent to which it concentrates electrostatic lines of flux. It is the ratio of the amount of stored electrical energy when a potential is applied, relative to the permittivity of a vacuum. It is also called relative permittivity.