If a sheet of an insulating material is inserted between the plates of an air capacitor, the capacitance will
Answer Details
When you insert a sheet of an insulating material between the plates of an air capacitor, the capacitance will increase.
Here's why:
Capacitance is a measure of a capacitor's ability to store charge per unit voltage across its plates.
The formula for capacitance (C) is:
C = ε₀ * (εr) * (A/d)
Where:
ε₀ is the permittivity of free space (a constant).
εr is the relative permittivity (also known as the dielectric constant) of the material between the plates.
A is the area of one of the plates.
d is the separation between the plates.
When an insulating material (also known as a dielectric) is inserted between the plates, its εr is greater than that of air (which is 1).
This increases the overall capacitance of the capacitor since the product of ε₀ and εr is larger than ε₀ alone.
Therefore, inserting an insulating material as a dielectric enhances the capacitor's ability to store charge, ultimately resulting in an increase in capacitance.