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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Voltage, Current and Power

Capacitance

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

/kəˈpæsɪtəns/nounCommon term

In electrical & electronics engineering, capacitance means: The ability of a component or structure to store electric charge, measured in farads (F). Practical values are usually in microfarads (µF), nanofarads (nF) or picofarads (pF).

In Turkish: kapasitans, sığa

How it is used

Used for capacitors and also for unwanted effects, such as parasitic capacitance between traces, cable capacitance and the input capacitance of a probe or a MOSFET gate. Engineers add, measure or reduce capacitance.

Example sentences

  1. The long cable adds too much capacitance, so the edges of the signal are rounded.

  2. The total capacitance on the output should not exceed 470 µF.

Common collocations

  • parasitic capacitance
  • input capacitance
  • measure capacitance
  • total capacitance
  • capacitorA component that stores electrical energy in an electric field between two plates. It is used to smooth supply voltages, filter noise, block DC and set timing.
  • inductanceThe property of a coil or conductor that opposes changes in the current through it by storing energy in a magnetic field. It is measured in henries (H), often in µH or mH.
  • impedanceThe total opposition a circuit offers to alternating current, combining resistance and reactance. It is measured in ohms and usually changes with frequency.
  • filterA circuit that lets some frequencies pass and blocks or weakens others. Common types are low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch filters.

More terms: Voltage, Current and Power

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