Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
A spherical capacitor is a device that consists of two concentric conducting spheres, with the inner sphere acting as the positive plate and the outer sphere acting as the negative plate. It stores electric charge and has capacitance.
Capacitance is a measure of how much electric charge can be stored in an object for a given potential difference. It is represented by C and measured in farads (F).
Electric Field: Electric field refers to the region around an electrically charged object where another charged object experiences an electric force. It is represented by E and measured in newtons per coulomb (N/C).
Dielectric Material: A dielectric material is an insulating substance placed between the plates of a capacitor to increase its capacitance. It reduces the electric field strength between the plates while storing more charge.