Symbol ε. The ratio of the electric displacement in a medium to the intensity of the electric field producing it. It is important for electrical insulators used as dielectrics.
If two charges Q1 and Q2 are separated by a distance r in a vacuum, the force F between the charges is given by:
In this statement of Coulomb’s law using SI units, ε0 is called the absolute permittivity of free space, which is now known as the electric constant. It has the value 8.854×10−12 F m−1.
If the medium between the charges is anything other than a vacuum the equation becomes:
and the force between the charges is reduced. ε is the absolute permittivity of the new medium. The relative permittivity (εr) of a medium, formerly called the dielectric constant, is given by εr=ε/ε0.