The capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is increased by
- A. increasing the plate separation
- B. decreasing the plate area
- C. increasing the plate area and inserting a dielectric
- D. increasing the applied voltage
Explanation
Capacitance is proportional to the area and to the relative permittivity of the dielectric, and inversely proportional to the separation, so larger closer plates with a dielectric between them store more charge per volt. Applied voltage does not appear in the expression at all, which is the trap in the last option. A dielectric also allows a higher working voltage before breakdown.