Measuring the capacitance of a variable parallel plate capacitor in the introductory physics lab

We present the design and performance of measuring the capacitance of a variable parallel plate capacitor in the introductory physics lab. The formula for the capacitance of an infinite parallel plate capacitor is discussed in college physics. We explore how well this formula describes the measured capacitance of a variable parallel plate capacitor. The instrument used can vary both plate separation () and plate area () and it can accommodate a variety of dielectric materials. The effects of small changes in both plate separation and plate area are

explored. There is a range of values for which the formula and measurements are linear in () and ().