capacitance

American  

[kuh-pas-i-tuhns] / kəˈpæs ɪ təns /

noun

Electricity.

1. the ratio of an impressed charge on a conductor to the corresponding change in potential.

2. the ratio of the charge on either conductor of a capacitor to the potential difference between the conductors.

3. the property of being able to collect a charge of electricity. C

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capacitance British  

/ kəˈpæsɪtəns /

noun

1. the property of a system that enables it to store electric charge

2. 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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capacitance Scientific  

/ kə-păs′ĭ-təns /

1. 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.

2. Compare inductance

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Other Word Forms

• capacitive adjective
• capacitively adverb

Etymology

Origin of capacitance

First recorded in 1905–10; capacit(y) + -ance

Example Sentences

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 researchers found that capacitance generally increased linearly with length between 10 and 60 cm, after which gains in capacitance slowed significantly as length increased.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024

This takes advantage of the temperature dependence of the capacitance of specially manufactured miniature capacitors.

From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024

Find the total capacitance of the combination of capacitors shown in Figure 19.40.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

A variable condenser of .001 mfd. capacitance can be connected in the ground wire, as shown in Fig.

From The Radio Amateur's Hand Book by Collins, A. Frederick (Archie Frederick)