Capacitance is the ability of a system to store an electric charge, and is expressed in Farads. Reed Switch control circuits should be designed to ensure that stray capacitance does not discharge across the reed switch during the time of closure as this will degrade the contact and reduce life.
Capacitance is the capacity of a material object or device to store electric charge. It is measured by the charge in response to a difference in electric potential, expressed as the ratio of those quantities. Commonly recognized are two closely related notions of capacitance: self capacitance and mutual capacitance. An object that can be electrically charged exhibits self capacitance, for which the electric potential is measured between the object and ground. Mutual capacitance is measured between two components, and is particularly important in the operation of the capacitor, an elementary linear electronic component designed to add capacitance to an electric circuit.
Common symbols | C |
|---|---|
| SI unit | farad |
Other units | μF, nF, pF |
| In SI base units | F = A2 s4 kg−1 m−2 |
Derivations from other quantities | C = charge / voltage |
| Dimension |
The capacitance between two conductors depends only on the geometry; the opposing surface area of the conductors and the distance between them; and the permittivity of any dielectric material between them. For many dielectric materials, the permittivity, and thus the capacitance, is independent of the potential difference between the conductors and the total charge on them.
The SI unit of capacitance is the farad (symbol: F), named after the English physicist Michael Faraday. A 1 farad capacitor, when charged with 1 coulomb of electrical charge, has a potential difference of 1 volt between its plates. The reciprocal of capacitance is called elastance.
