Here's some interesting physics that hasn't been
mentioned so far.
We've seen tabulated data for the dielectric
constant of water as a function of frequency.
For instance, on 08/22/2003 01:45 PM, Dan Crowe wrote:
> I found the following values in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Phy=
> sics, 82nd ed, 2001-2002, p. 6-15:
>
> Frequency k (0 C) k (25 C) k (50 C)
>
> 0 87.90 78.36 69.88
> 1 kHz 87.90 78.36 69.88
> 1 MHz 87.90 78.36 69.88
> ... ... ... ...
> 50 GHz 8.28 14.64 24.42
Note that it converges to a constant at low frequencies.
That's kinda peculiar, isn't it? At low frequencies the
charge-versus-voltage relationship should be dominated
by conductivity, so we would expect it to head toward
infinity, not head toward a modest constant, right?
So the question arises, what can it possibly mean to
talk about the low-frequency dielectric constant of
water (or other materials with nonzero conductivity)?
I'll pause here for the benefit of those who like
riddles. I'll post my answer later today.