time constant

American  

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 British  

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

---

Etymology

Origin of time constant

First recorded in 1890–95

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

time constant

“Our results suggest that the optimal tempo for beat synchronization depends on the time constant in the brain,” Dr. Takahashi said.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 13, 2022

Nor is time constant, despite what the existence of an international standard might suggest.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2022

How does this affect the time constant for discharging the capacitor?

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

Systematic investigations of the dynamics of electron injection for perylene-carboxylic-acid-sensitized titanium-oxide nanocrystals have shown that forward injection proceeds with about a 13 fs time constant, which is consistent with theoretical predictions.

From Nature ● Aug. 15, 2012

The City churches and churchyards were in my time constant sources of disease, and the chapels were, where they had burying-grounds attached, equally bad. 

From Christopher Crayon's Recollections The Life and Times of the late James Ewing Ritchie as told by himself by J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---