When an external electric field is applied to an insulator, the material becomes polarized, creating _______ due to the displacement of bound charges.

When an external electric field is applied to an insulator, the material becomes polarized, creating electric dipoles due to the displacement of bound charges. These dipoles arise because the negative and positive bound charges shift slightly in opposite directions, forming tiny charge separations. The resulting dipoles align with the field, which reduces the field inside the material and increases its capacitance. For example, a glass rod in a strong electric field will have its electrons pulled toward one side and its nuclei pushed toward the opposite side, forming a microscopic dipole that points along the field. This alignment of many dipoles is what gives a dielectric its ability to store electric energy.