What does capacitance depend on besides surface area?

Capacitance is fundamentally a measure of a capacitor's ability to store electrical charge, and one of the key factors that influence capacitance, alongside the surface area of the conductive plates, is the type of dielectric material used between the plates. The dielectric material affects how much electric field can be stored for a given voltage across the plates.

Different materials have different dielectric constants, which are a measure of a material's ability to polarize in response to an electric field. A higher dielectric constant allows the capacitor to store more charge, thus increasing the capacitance. For example, materials like air, ceramic, or electrolytic substances will each offer different capacitance values when used in the construction of capacitors.

While other factors like resistance, conductivity, and capacitor type may play a role in the overall performance of a capacitor, they do not directly influence the capacitance itself like the choice of dielectric material does. Resistance and conductivity pertain to how well a material conducts electricity or how it dissipates energy, and capacitor type can refer to the construction method or intended application, but it is the dielectric constant of the material that is the crucial determinant of capacitance alongside the surface area of the plates.