Friday 17 March 2017

What is the Difference Between Dielectric & Insulator..??

Definition of Dielectric :

The dielectric material is a type of an insulator which has some free electrons. It becomes polarised in the presence of the electric field. The polarisation is the property of the material in which the positive and negative charges of the material are shifted in the opposite direction. The polarisation reduces the overall field of the material.

The storage and dissipation of the electric energy are the main properties of the dielectric material. The conductivity of the perfect dielectric material is zero. The common example of the dielectric is the capacitor. The polarisation between the parallel plates of the capacitor increases the surface area of the capacitance.

Definition of Insulator :

The material which does not allow the electric current to pass through them is known as the insulator. The insulating material does not have any free electrons because their molecules have the strong covalent bond. The resistivity of the material is very high as compared with other material. Resistivity is the property of the material that shows the strong obstruction against the flow of charges.

The ebonite, paper, wood, plastic are some of the examples of insulators.

Comparison of  Dielectric & Insulator :

The dielectric and insulator are differentiated from their applications. One of the major difference between the dielectric and insulator is that the dielectric stores the electrical charges while the insulator opposes the flow of electrons. Some other differences between them are explained below in the comparison chart.

Basis For Comparison Dielectric Insulator
Definition The material in which an electric field can develop with the minimum loss of energy is known as the dielectric. The substance which have low conductivity and which create obstruction in the flow of current in known as the insulator.
Polarize Polarize in an electric field. Can not polarize
Bond Weakly bonded as compared to the insulator. Covalent Bond
Dielectric constant High Low
Charges Store the charges Obstruction to the charges.
Example Dry air, vacuum, distill water etc. Cotton, plastic, mica etc.
Application Capacitor, power cable etc. Conducting wires, in high voltage system etc.

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What is the Difference Between Dielectric & Insulator..??
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