Dielectric constant The relative permittivity of a material is its (absolute) permittivity expressed as a ratio relative to the permittivity of vacuum. Permittivity is a material property that affects the Coulomb force between two point charges in the material. Relative permittivity is the factor by which the electric field between the charges is decreased relative to vacuum. Likewise, relative permittivity is the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor using that material as a dielectric, compared with a similar capacitor that has vacuum as its dielectric. Relative permittivity is also commonly known as dielectric constant, a term deprecated in engineering as well as in chemistry. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_permittivity Added to support Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) data use cases. ODM2 Variable Name Controlled Vocabulary ODM2 Working Group A vocabulary for describing the name of Variables.