The energy stored in a parallel plate capacitor with a dielectric is influenced by several factors: (i) Capacitance, which increases when a dielectric is included due to the formula C = εK(A/d), where K is the dielectric constant. (ii) Potential difference (voltage), as energy stored is E = (1/2)CV², meaning energy increases with voltage and capacitance. (iii) Dielectric breakdown potential, beyond which the dielectric may cease to function effectively, limiting maximum energy. (iv) Temperature, as changes can affect dielectric properties, thus impacting energy storage .

Inserting a non-conducting slab of thickness t and dielectric constant K alters a capacitor's capacitance by effectively introducing a material that lowers the electric field for the same charge by a factor of K, leading to a higher apparent capacitance. The new capacitance becomes C_slab = C₀ * K = (ε₀KA)/d, where C₀ is the original capacitance without the slab. The slab reduces the electric field between plates causing a decrease in potential difference, which allows storage of more charge subsequently increasing the overall stored energy, without increasing the voltage across the plates .

The force F experienced by one plate of a capacitor due to the other can be derived by considering the electric field caused by charge on the plates. This field E = σ/ε, where σ is the surface charge density. The force on one of the plates due to the field is F = qE, where q is the charge. Substituting the field between the plates, F = qσ/ε can also be expressed using plate charge q = σA, leading to F = σAσ/ε = Aσ²/ε. This expression shows that the force is proportional to the square of the charge density and inversely proportional to permittivity .

Increasing the plate separation while introducing a dielectric has opposing effects on the capacitance of a capacitor. Increasing the separation from d to 2d decreases the capacitance, C' = εA/2d if air-filled, by a factor of 1/2. Introducing a dielectric with constant k, however, increases the capacitance by a factor k, hence the new capacitance becomes C'' = kεA/2d. Thus, the net effect on capacitance is influenced by the dielectric constant, though generally, there is an increase in capacitance depending on k's magnitude relative to the change in separation .

When a dielectric slab of thickness less than the plate separation is inserted between the plates of a parallel plate capacitor, the capacitance increases due to the dielectric constant, K, of the material. The capacitance with the dielectric, C, can be calculated using the formula C = εK(A/d), where ε is the permittivity of free space, A is the area of the plates, and d is the distance between the plates. The presence of the dielectric reduces the electric field between the plates as it polarizes and reduces the effective field, thus allowing the plates to store more charge at a given voltage compared to when the capacitor is filled with air .

The effective capacitance, C_eff, for two capacitors of capacitance C1 = 10μF and C2 = 20μF in series is calculated using the formula 1/C_eff = 1/C1 + 1/C2, leading to C_eff = 6.67μF. With a battery of 100V, the charge on each capacitor is the same, determined by the series connection: Q = C_eff * V_total = 667μC. The potential drop across each is V1 = Q/C1 and V2 = Q/C2, being 66.7V and 33.3V, respectively. The energy stored in each capacitor is E1 = (1/2)C1V1² and E2 = (1/2)C2V2², highlighting that energy is unevenly distributed due to different capacitances in series, with the capacitor having the larger capacitance storing less energy .

The capacitance C of a parallel-plate capacitor is derived under the assumption of a uniform electric field between the plates. The electrostatic potential difference V is related to the electric field E and plate separation d by V = Ed, where E = σ/ε, with σ being the surface charge density. The capacitance is defined as C = Q/V, where Q = σA. Substituting these, C = εA/d emerges, showing that capacitance is directly proportional to the plate area A and inversely proportional to plate separation d, emphasizing how plate size and spacing directly affect the ability to store electric charge .

Introducing a dielectric with a constant k into a capacitor while keeping the battery connected affects several parameters: (i) The capacitance increases because C' = kC, where C is the original capacitance. (ii) The charge on the capacitor increases as Q = CV, since the voltage V remains constant due to the battery connection, thus the new charge Q' = kCV. (iii) The energy density, u = (1/2)εE², remains unchanged because while capacitance and stored energy increase, the electric field E remains constant due to the fixed voltage .

Before being connected in parallel, the total energy stored in the two capacitors is the sum of their individual energies, E1 = (1/2)C1V1² and E2 = (1/2)C2V2². When connected in parallel, the potential across both capacitors becomes the same, leading to a redistribution of charge, which usually results in a decrease in the total stored energy. This is because some of the energy is dissipated as heat during the redistribution process. Additionally, the combined energy in a parallel connection is E_combined = (1/2)(C1 + C2)V_combined², which is less than the sum of the initial individual energies unless both capacitors had identical initial voltages .

The relationship between the dielectric constant, K, and the charge density σp appearing on the faces of a dielectric slab inserted in a capacitor is given by the formula for the dielectric constant K = σ/(σ - σp), where σ is the original surface charge density on the plates of the capacitor. This relationship arises due to polarization of the dielectric, which reduces the effective field and creates bound charges on the slab's surface .