Answer to Question #89922 in Electricity and Magnetism for Shivam Nishad

Question

Discuss briefly the behaviour of a dielectric in an electric field and explain the concept of polarisation.

Answer 1

Dielectrics are materials that can be polarized by an applied electric field. Polarizability is the essential property for dielectrics. Dielectric polarization is the term given to describe the behavior of a material when an external electric field is applied on it. When the atoms or molecules of a dielectric are placed in an external electric field, the nuclei are pushed with the field resulting in an increased positive charge on one side while the electron clouds are pulled against it resulting in an increased negative charge on the other side. This process is known as polarization and a dielectric material in such a state is said to be polarized. There are two principal methods by which a dielectric can be polarized: stretching and rotation.