What is meant by DIELECTRIC CONSTANT?
To make a capacitor, you need two metal plates separated by a small space. The area between the plates can be empty space, but normally it’s some kind of plastic. The value of the capacitor is proportional to the area of the plates divided by the spacing between them. This is then multiplied by the dielectric constant of the material used for the insulating spacer (the dielectric). The constant is 1 for air, and a higher number for various insulating materials. Obviously, using a dielectric with a higher constant allows a higher capacitance value in the same size package.
