Supercharging Capacitors with Dielectrics

Did you know you can supercharge a capacitor just by slipping something between its plates?

Let’s talk about the secret weapon of E&M: dielectrics. A dielectric is an insulating material

you insert between the plates of a capacitor. When you place it in the capacitor,

the molecules inside the dielectric become polarized—their internal charges shift slightly.

This polarization creates an induced electric field that opposes the original electric field between

the plates. And what does that mean? It means the net electric field is

reduced, so the voltage drops, which increases the capacitance by a factor of the

dielectric constant, κ. Mathematically: C → κC Dielectrics let