time constant

noun

Electricity.

1. the time required for a changing quantity in a circuit, as voltage or current, to rise or fall approximately 0.632 of the difference between its old and new value after an impulse has been applied that induces such a change: equal in seconds to the inductance of the circuit in henries divided by its resistance in ohms.

time constant

noun

1. electronics the time required for the current or voltage in a circuit to rise or fall exponentially through approximately 63 per cent of its amplitude

Word History and Origins

Origin of time constant¹

First recorded in 1890–95