Permittivity vs. Permeability — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 15, 2024
Permittivity measures a material's ability to store electrical charge, while permeability indicates its capacity to support magnetic field development.
Difference Between Permittivity and Permeability
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Permittivity, denoted as ε, primarily characterizes how an electric field affects and is affected by a medium. Whereas, permeability, denoted as μ, describes how a medium responds to the magnetic field and influences its formation.
Permittivity is a fundamental property in determining how much electric flux can be stored per unit of electric field in a material. On the other hand, permeability quantifies the ease with which a magnetic field can penetrate a material.
Materials with high permittivity can hold more electric charges at a given electric field strength, which is crucial in capacitors. Conversely, materials with high permeability are better at channeling magnetic fields, essential in inductors and transformers.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Ability to store electrical charge
Ability to support magnetic fields
Role in fields
Affects electric fields
Influences magnetic fields
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Importance in devices
Crucial in capacitors
Essential in inductors, transformers
Units
Farads per meter (F/m)
Henries per meter (H/m)
Compare with Definitions
Permittivity
Ability to permit electric field lines.
The high permittivity of water makes it a good insulator in certain applications.
Permeability
Measure of material's magnetic support.
Iron's high permeability makes it ideal for constructing transformer cores.
Permittivity
Measure of electric polarization.
A material's permittivity helps determine its effectiveness in reducing electric field intensity.
Permeability
Affects magnetic field intensity.
Materials with low permeability are less effective at channeling magnetic fields.
Permittivity
Related to electric flux density.
Higher permittivity in a material results in greater electric flux density under the same electric field.
Permeability
Depends on material composition.
The permeability of ferrites is engineered to provide optimal performance in high-frequency applications.
Permittivity
Integral in capacitor function.
Engineers choose materials with high permittivity for capacitor dielectrics to enhance storage capacity.
Permeability
Associated with magnetic flux density.
A higher permeability means more magnetic flux can pass through a material.
Permittivity
Influenced by material structure.
The permittivity of a material varies with its atomic arrangement and bonding.
Permeability
Critical in inductor design.
Permeability is a key factor in determining the inductance of coils used in electronic circuits.
Permittivity
In electromagnetism, the absolute permittivity, often simply called permittivity and denoted by the Greek letter ε (epsilon), is a measure of the electric polarizability of a dielectric. A material with high permittivity polarizes more in response to an applied electric field than a material with low permittivity, thereby storing more energy in the material.
Permeability
The property or condition of being permeable.
Permittivity
A measure of the ability of a material to interact with an electric field and become polarized by the field, weakening the field within the material. The permittivity of a material is the product of the dielectric constant of the material and the permittivity of a perfect vacuum, which is defined to be about 8.854 × 10-12 farad per meter.
Permeability
The rate of flow of a liquid or gas through a porous material.
Permittivity
(physics) A property of a dielectric medium that determines the forces that electric charges placed in the medium exert on each other.
Permeability
The property of being permeable.
Permeability
The rate of flow of a fluid through a porous material.
Permeability
(geology) A measure of the ability of a rock to transmit fluids (such as oil or water).
Permeability
(physics) A quantitative measure of the degree of magnetization of a material in the presence of an applied magnetic field (measured in newtons per ampere squared in SI units).
Permeability
The quality or state of being permeable.
Permeability
The property of something that can be pervaded by a liquid (as by osmosis or diffusion)
Common Curiosities
What is permittivity?
Permittivity is a material's ability to store electrical energy in an electric field.
Why is permittivity important in capacitors?
Permittivity determines how much charge a capacitor can store at a given voltage.
What materials have high permittivity?
Materials like barium titanate and some polymers have high permittivities.
What is the unit of permittivity?
The unit of permittivity is farads per meter (F/m).
What are examples of high permeability materials?
Iron, nickel, and their alloys typically have high permeability.
Does permeability affect an inductor's quality?
Yes, higher permeability usually enhances an inductor's quality by increasing its efficiency.
How do permittivity and permeability relate to impedance?
Permittivity and permeability directly affect the impedance of a medium by influencing electric and magnetic fields respectively.
What does permeability indicate?
Permeability indicates how much a material can support and develop a magnetic field.
Can permittivity vary with frequency?
Yes, the permittivity of materials can change with frequency, affecting their insulating properties.
How does permeability affect transformers?
High permeability in transformer cores allows for efficient magnetic flux transfer and energy transformation.
What effect does temperature have on permittivity?
Temperature can increase or decrease permittivity depending on the material's structure and bonding.
What unit is used to measure permeability?
Permeability is measured in henries per meter (H/m).
What is the relationship between permittivity and dielectric strength?
Generally, higher permittivity materials can withstand higher voltages, contributing to greater dielectric strength.
How does the permeability of a vacuum compare to other materials?
The permeability of a vacuum is the baseline (μ₀), with most materials having higher permeability values.
Is air's permeability high or low?
Air has low permeability compared to materials like iron.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
