Which type of capacitor feature is directly affected by fringe effect?

The feature of the capacitor that is directly affected by the fringe effect is the capacitance value under certain conditions. In capacitors, especially parallel plate capacitors, the fringe effect refers to the distortion of the electric field at the edges of the plates. This distortion causes the effective area of the capacitor to be larger than just the projected area of the plates, which in turn alters the overall capacitance value.

When considering the fringe effect, it can lead to an increase in capacitance because the overlapping electric field lines extend beyond the physical boundaries of the capacitor plates. As a result, this effect must be taken into account when analyzing capacitors for high precision applications, as it can significantly impact the performance characteristics of the capacitor.

Other options like inductance, dielectric breakdown voltage, and physical size are not primarily influenced by the fringe effect in the same way that capacitance is. Inductance relates more to coil configurations and magnetic fields, dielectric breakdown voltage is a material property related to insulation strength, and physical size may limit capacitance but does not directly correlate in the same manner with fringe effects.