The ratio of the electric displacement, D, in a dielectric medium to the applied electric field strength, E, i.e.
The permittivity of free space is designated ε0 and is termed the electric constant. It is related to the permeability of free space, μ0, by the equation
where c is the speed of light. Thus since μ0 has the value 4π × 10−7 henry per metre in the system of SI units, then
The relative permittivity, εr, is the ratio of the electric displacement in a medium to the electric displacement in free space for the same value of applied electric field strength, i.e.
The dimensionless quantity εr is also termed the dielectric constant when it is independent of electric field strength and refers to the dielectric medium of a capacitor. It can then be defined as the ratio of the capacitance of the capacitor containing the dielectric medium to the capacitance it would have were the dielectric removed.