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If the relative permittivity of a substance is 80, then its electric susceptibility is ______.

Asked in GUJCET 2020 · Polarisation and bound charge

Answer: (2) 7×10⁻¹⁰

Step-by-step solution

The textbook defines electric susceptibility through ⃗P=χₑ⃗E, so χₑ carries the same unit as ε₀, C² N⁻¹ m⁻².

In a slab of dielectric between charged plates the bound surface charge is σₚ=P=χₑE, so ε₀E=σ-χₑE, giving E=σ/(ε₀+χₑ).

Comparing with E=σ/(ε₀εᵣ): ε₀εᵣ=ε₀+χₑ, so χₑ=ε₀(εᵣ-1).

χₑ=8.85×10⁻¹²×(80-1)=6.99×10⁻¹⁰.

So χₑ≈7×10⁻¹⁰ C² N⁻¹ m⁻². (Were susceptibility defined as a pure number instead, it would be εᵣ-1=79; keep to the textbook's definition.)

Why the other options are wrong

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