The flow of electricity through dielectrics

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 1915
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1915.0055; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.1915.0055

Curie, Hopkinson, and other observers have shown that when a condenser is charged by means of a battery of constant electromotive force the charging current diminishes as the time of charging increases. Results obtained by me when the dielectric consisted of glass, paraffin, ebonite, quartz and Iceland spar are in agreement with this conclusion. I have also found that if (during charging) the applied electromotive force, E, is suddenly reduced to E' (say), then, Provided that E' is greater than a certain value P, a current flows through the specimen in the same direction (for some time) in the opposite direction to the charging current.