The total polarisation of a material is the

The total polarization of a material is defined as the vector sum of the individual dipole moments per unit volume. This concept is crucial in the study of dielectric materials, which are insulators that can be polarized by an electric field. When an electric field is applied to such a material, the atomic or molecular dipoles within the material tend to align themselves with the field, creating a net polarization.

Mathematically, this can be expressed as ( mathbf{P} = frac{1}{V}sum q_i mathbf{r}_i ), where ( mathbf{P} ) is the polarization (vector), ( V ) is the volume, ( q_i ) represents the electric charges, and ( mathbf{r}_i ) represents their respective position vectors.

The concept of polarization is fundamental in understanding the behavior of dielectric materials under electric fields, including how they store electric energy, affect the electric field within them, and their applications in capacitors and other electronic components.