Electrostatics is a branch of physics that deals with stationary electric charges and their interactions. Permittivity is a fundamental property of materials that describes how they respond to an applied electric field. There are two concepts related to permittivity: absolute permittivity (ε or ε₀) and relative permittivity (εᵣ).
Absolute Permittivity (ε or ε₀):
Absolute permittivity, often denoted as ε or ε₀ (epsilon naught), is a measure of how a material responds to an electric field by becoming polarized. When an electric field is applied to a material, the charges within the material may shift, causing the material to become polarized and creating an electric displacement. Absolute permittivity is defined by the relationship between the electric displacement (D) and the electric field (E) as follows:
D = ε * E
Here, ε is the absolute permittivity of the material, and E is the electric field. The SI unit of absolute permittivity is farads per meter (F/m).
Relative Permittivity (εᵣ) or Dielectric Constant:
Relative permittivity, also known as the dielectric constant, is a dimension