On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:59:16 -0700, rambotrout wrote:
> Thank you everyone for all the replies.
>
> I have better grasp of it now.
>
> Timo, if the electrode is thinly insulated, wouldn't all the ions get
> attracted very close to their respective electrodes thus leaving the
> water "relatively" pure? In this case, wouldn't the dielectric constant
> of the water is retained?
Although it may not matter depending on the situation you are considering
(especially for DC circuits), but you might want to consider searching
for "complex dielectric constant"---this especially matters in AC
circuits as the nonzero conductivity could lead to dissipative losses.
Circuit-wise, look at it as this: two capacitors (water and the thin
insulator) connected in series, and a small resistor connects two ends of
one capacitor (the one with water). In a DC circuit, you can ignore the
resistor, but not if you have AC voltage source.
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