Understanding Dielectric Polarisation: Transformation of Dipoles and Charges

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of dielectric polarization, specifically how dipoles and charges transform when a dielectric material is placed between two charged plates. Participants explore the mechanisms of charge rearrangement, the effects of electric fields, and the implications of electric susceptibility in dielectrics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants discuss how dipoles in a dielectric rearrange in response to external electric fields, leading to polarization.
  • There is a suggestion that the positive and negative poles of dipoles near capacitor plates create an electric field inside the dielectric that opposes the field from the plates.
  • One participant questions the terminology used, suggesting that "attract" may be more appropriate than "nullify" when describing the interaction between dipoles.
  • Participants express confusion about the transformation of dipoles and the appearance of charges in the dielectric, leading to further clarification attempts.
  • Several contributions focus on the concept of electric susceptibility, discussing how it relates to the ease of polarization in different materials.
  • Some participants explain that a higher susceptibility means that less electric field strength is needed to achieve the same polarization, indicating a relationship between susceptibility and material properties.
  • Different types of polarization (dipolar, electronic, ionic) are mentioned, with emphasis on how these mechanisms contribute to the overall behavior of dielectrics in electric fields.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various viewpoints on the mechanisms of dielectric polarization and the terminology used, indicating that there is no consensus on certain aspects of the discussion. Some participants agree on the basic principles of polarization, while others seek clarification on specific terms and concepts.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the definitions and implications of terms like "ease" in the context of polarization, as well as the specific mechanisms that contribute to susceptibility in different materials. The discussion reflects a range of understanding and interpretations of dielectric behavior.

  • #31
cnh1995 said:
Yes. ε=ε0εr. In case of vacuum, εr=1, so there's only εo in the formula.
##ε0##=##\frac{σ}{E}##
in case of vacuum
but in case of other materials we should apply the below formula
##ε##=##\frac{σ}{E}##
Right?
 
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  • #32
gracy said:
##ε0##=##\frac{σ}{E}##
in case of vacuum
but in case of other materials we should apply the below formula
##ε##=##\frac{σ}{E}##
Right?
Right.
 
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  • #33


Here (in the video)permittivity of vacuum is taken into consideration not of the slab ,why?
 
  • #34
gracy said:


Here (in the video)permittivity of vacuum is taken into consideration not of the slab ,why?

Slab is metallic. E field inside it will be 0. The video is about how charge density on the metal plate will vary with the permittivity of the surroundings.
 
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  • #35
cnh1995 said:
permittivity tells you how much charge is required(or permitted) to create the same electric field in different dielectrics.

How can I apply the above mentioned function of permittivity to the surrounding?
 
  • #36
gracy said:
How can I apply the above mentioned function of permittivity to the surrounding?
There will be field lines from +ve charge density towards -ve charge density "through" the surrounding. It is similar to what happens inside a capacitor.
 
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  • #37
You mean some charges must be there to produce that "applied electric field".And then permittivity of surrounding will come into picture.The fields shown in the video have gone through all of these.
 
  • #38
gracy said:
You mean some charges must be there to produce that "applied electric field".And then permittivity of surrounding will come into picture.The fields shown in the video have gone through all of these.
Yes. The charge densities act as a dipole. So, there will be field lines in the surroundings, joining the two charge densities.
 
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  • #39
cnh1995 said:
permittivity tells you how "strong"(may not be the correct word) a dielectric is w.r.t vacuum( free space)
But it is permittivity of free space that tells us how "strong"(may not be the correct word) a dielectric is w.r.t vacuum( free space) if we look at permittivity of other materials how it differs from their susceptibility?
 
  • #40
Both of them tell something about how "strong" is the dielectric but this is just a "metaphoric" way to describe them. You spend way too much time with matter of little relevance and questions expressed in somehow confusing terms.
The equations tells it all without any room for misinterpretation: susceptibility is used to write the relationship between external field and polarization whereas relative permitivity (or dielectric strength or dielectric constant) for the relationship between the external field and the net field in the dielectric. They both depend on the same property of the material: the ability to "produce" electric dipoles in the presence of a field. None of them has more (or less) meaning than the other. If you know one you can get the other.

The vacuum permitivity you can leave out of this. It is more like a matter of units and not really o property of a "material" in the same sense as the dielectric constant.
 
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  • #41
gracy said:
But it is permittivity of free space that tells us how
No. I said it is the permittivity of the material, not free space.
 
  • #42
cnh1995 said:
permittivity gives the relation between net field and the original field
You meant relative permittivity?
 
  • #43
gracy said:
You meant relative permittivity?
I meant actual permittivity(ε) of the material(εoεr).
 
  • #44
But it's relative permittivity which is also called dsielectric constant that's gives the relation between net field and the original field
##K##=##\frac{E_O}{E}##
 
  • #45
gracy said:
But it's relative permittivity which is also called dsielectric constant that's gives the relation between net field and the original field
##K##=##\frac{E_O}{E}##
Right.
 
  • #46
That's what I asked in post #42
 
  • #47
gracy said:
That's what I asked in post #42
Yeah right. I meant the concept of permittivity (relative permittivity is a part of that) compared to the concept of susceptibility.
 

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