Capacitor. Find thickness of polystyrene

AI Thread Summary
To find the thickness of a 490 pF capacitor with 19 cm radius plates insulated with polystyrene, the formula d = (ε_0 * Area * K) / C was used. The area of the plates was calculated as approximately 0.1134 m², and the dielectric constant (K) was initially taken as 2.3. After calculations, the thickness was found to be 4.71 mm, but this was incorrect due to the wrong K value. The correct dielectric constant for polystyrene is 2.6, which led to the realization of the error.
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Homework Statement



A 490 pF capacitor consists of two 19 cm -radius circular plates, insulated with polystyrene

Find the thickness of the polystyrene.


Homework Equations



d = (ε_0 * Area * K) / C

The Attempt at a Solution



I converted 490 pF to F

4.90 * 10^-10 F

I converted 19 cm to meters

.19 m

and found the area of the plate

∏r^2 = ∏(.19)^2 = .1134 m^2

K of polystyrene = 2.3, so now just plug everything into my equation

d = ((2.3) * (8.854*10^-12) * (.1134)) / (4.9 * 10^-10)

d = .00471 m

I want my answer in mm with two significant figures

d = 4.7 mm


mastering physics tells me this is the wrong answer, where did I go wrong?
 
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never mind, I found it. the value for K was 2.6 not 2.3, I was mistaken
 
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