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

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Etymology

Origin of capacitance

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capacitance

This creates a small change in capacitance, just enough for the device to detect a touch.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

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

But in devices employing bilayer graphene, the presence of significant stray capacitance in the measurement circuit leads to rf leakage and less-than-optimal resonator properties.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2023

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 is directly proportional to the quantity of electricity that will keep the charge at a given potential.

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

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