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

The areal capacitance of the resulting MSC retains its original value even after stretching up to 1,000 cycles.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

The researchers analyzed thermodynamic parameters of the system such as binding energies, changes in capacitance, and molecular conformations and found that they played critical roles in optimizing the sensor's performance.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2024

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

From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 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

The capacitance of a condenser or a circuit depends on its size and form and the voltage of the current that is charging it.

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