capacitance
Americannoun
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the ratio of an impressed charge on a conductor to the corresponding change in potential.
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the ratio of the charge on either conductor of a capacitor to the potential difference between the conductors.
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the property of being able to collect a charge of electricity. C
noun
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the property of a system that enables it to store electric charge
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a measure of this, equal to the charge that must be added to such a system to raise its electrical potential by one unit
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A measure of the ability of a configuration of materials to store electric charge. In a capacitor, capacitance depends on the size of the plates, the type of insulator, and the amount of space between the plates. Most electrical components display capacitance to some degree; even the spaces between components of a circuit have a natural capacitance. Capacitance is measured in farads.
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Compare inductance
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of capacitance
First recorded in 1905–10; capacit(y) + -ance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He explains that the team has successfully retrieved information stored in Majorana qubits by applying a technique known as quantum capacitance.
From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026
These pulses cause the biomarkers to bind to the antibodies and alter the charge and capacitance over the electrode.
From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2024
Depending on the electrical frequency of the current, the YSCs would see diminishing gains in capacitance up to the 300 cm in length, though some plateaued at around 150 cm.
From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024
The resistance of a resistor, and the capacitance of a capacitor, can be understood from the basic properties of electric fields and forces, as well as the properties of materials and their geometry.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
Likewise an oscillation circuit has a natural frequency which depends upon its inductance, capacitance and resistance.
From The Radio Amateur's Hand Book by Collins, A. Frederick (Archie Frederick)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
