In earlier articles, I have explained the-
- difference between insulator and conductor with specifications
- different types of insulator with specification, properties and uses
Here, we are going to study the major difference between an insulator and a dielectric.
Insulator vs Dielectric [in Tabular Form]
| # | Content | Insulator | Dielectric |
| 01 | [Definition] What is an insulator & a Dielectric? | The material which does not allow to flow of electric current in an applied electric field is called as an ‘Insulator’. | The material which allows to flow of electric current in an applied electric field is called as a ‘Dielectric’. |
| 02 | Function of insulator & Dielectric | The insulator does not store the electric charge. | The dielectric stores the electric charge. |
| 03 | Polarization | The insulator can not be polarized under the influence of the electric field. | The dielectrics can be easily polarized under the influence of the electric field. |
| 04 | Molecular bond | It has a covalent bond. | It has weakly bond as compared to the insulator. |
| 05 | Property of conductivity | The insulator has low conductivity. | The dielectric has high conductivity. |
| 06 | Property of Resistivity | It has high resistive power. | It has low resistive power. |
| 07 | Can any insulator be a dielectric? | All insulators are not worked as dielectrics. | But, all dielectrics are worked as insulators. |
| 08 | Protection | The insulator does not require protection due to the absence of conducting material. | The dielectric requires protection due to the presence of conducting material. |
| 09 | Dielectric constant | The insulator has a low dielectric constant. | The dielectric has a high dielectric constant. |
| 10 | Used | It is mainly used for limiting current to the desired path. | It is used for flowing electric current to the desired path. |
| 11 | Insulating & Dielectric materials | The insulator finds in the form of glass, cotton, plastic, mica, rubber, etc. | The dielectric media finds in the form of dry air, vacuum, distilled water, etc. |
| 12 | Application of insulator & dielectric | It is used in transmission and distribution systems, and other conducting wires. | It is used in the battery, capacitor, power cables, mineral oil (especially in transformer tank), dielectric resonator oscillator (DRO), etc. |
These are the basic points to distinguish between dielectric and conductor. If you have any queries regarding the insulator or dielectric, please comment below.
Read other more comparisons:
- Alternating current vs Direct current
- Active power vs Reactive power
- Power vs Energy
- Capacitor vs Inductor
- Active component vs Passive component
- Electrical circuit vs Magnetic circuit
- Core transformer vs Shell transformer
- Overhead line vs Underground line
- AC transmission vs DC Transmission
Thanks for Reading!
I have completed master in Electrical Power System. I work and write technical tutorials on the PLC, MATLAB programming, and Electrical on DipsLab.com portal.
Sharing my knowledge on this blog makes me happy. And sometimes I delve in Python programming.
Great breakdown of the differences between insulators and dielectrics! The tabular form makes it really easy to compare them at a glance. I especially appreciated the examples you included; they clarified the concepts even further. Thanks for sharing such insightful content!
Thanks, Kia for your kind words! I’m glad you found the tabular comparison and examples helpful in clarifying the concepts of insulators and dielectrics. Your feedback motivates me to create more insightful content like this.