What happens to the capacitance if the area of the plates is increased?

Capacitance is directly proportional to the area of the plates in a capacitor. When the area of the plates is increased, more electric field lines can be supported, which enhances the ability of the capacitor to store charge. The formula for capacitance (C) is given by:

[ C = \frac{\varepsilon A}{d} ]

where ( \varepsilon ) is the permittivity of the material between the plates, ( A ) is the area of one of the plates, and ( d ) is the distance between the plates. From this equation, it is clear that as the area ( A ) increases, the capacitance ( C ) also increases, assuming the distance ( d ) and the material's permittivity ( \varepsilon ) remain constant.

Therefore, increasing the area of the plates leads to an increase in capacitance, which aligns with the chosen answer.