What is the value of epsilon naught?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The value of the electric constant, commonly known as epsilon naught (ε₀), is approximately (8.854 \times 10^{-12} \, \text{F/m}) (farads per meter). This fundamental constant plays a crucial role in electromagnetism and is particularly important in the context of capacitance, electric fields, and the behavior of electric charges in a vacuum.
Epsilon naught is defined as the permittivity of free space, which quantifies how electric fields interact with the vacuum. In essence, it measures the ability of a vacuum to permit electric field lines to pass through it. When a charge is placed in a vacuum, the electric field it generates spreads out according to the principles dictated by ε₀. The higher the permittivity, the more electric field lines can penetrate a given area, which leads to a stronger interaction between charges.
In the context of capacitance, ε₀ is a key factor in determining the capacitance of parallel plate capacitors. The capacitance (C) is given by the formula:
[
C = \frac{εA}{d}
]
where (A) is the area of one of the plates, and (d) is the distance between them. This equation illustrates how capacitance is directly proportional to the permittivity of the medium between the plates; in a vacuum, ε equals ε₀.
Epsilon naught also appears in Coulomb’s law, which describes the electrostatic force (F) between two point charges (q₁ and q₂) separated by a distance (r):
[
F = \frac{1}{4\pi ε₀} \cdot \frac{q₁ q₂}{r²}
]
This relationship highlights how ε₀ serves as a scaling factor for the force between charges in a vacuum, affecting how we understand electric interactions in both theoretical and practical applications. Overall, ε₀ is foundational to the equations governing electric phenomena and is critical for understanding the behavior of electric fields in a vacuum.