capacitor
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cutaway of a can-style electrolytic capacitor
ca·pac·i·tor
(kə-păs′ĭ-tər)n.
An electric circuit element used to store charge temporarily, consisting in general of two metallic plates separated and insulated from each other by a dielectric. Also called condenser.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
capacitor
(kəˈpæsɪtə)n
(Electronics) a device for accumulating electric charge, usually consisting of two conducting surfaces separated by a dielectric. Former name: condenser
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ca•pac•i•tor
(kəˈpæs ɪ tər)n.
a device for accumulating and holding a charge of electricity, consisting of two equally charged conducting surfaces having opposite signs and separated by a dielectric. Also called condenser.
[1925–30]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
A capacitor is charged when electrons from a power source, such as a battery, flow to one of the two plates. Because the electrons cannot pass through the insulating layer, they build up on the first plate, giving it a negative charge. Electrons on the other plate are attracted to the positive terminal of the battery, causing that plate to become positively charged.
ca·pac·i·tor
(kə-păs′ĭ-tər) A device used to store electric charge. Capacitors consist of two charged metal plates separated by an electrical insulator. The charge is supplied by connecting the plates to a source of electricity. The positive charge is stored on one of the plates, and the negative charge is stored on the other. Capacitors are used to regulate the flow of charge in electric circuits. ♦ The ability of a capacitor to store charge is called its capacitance (kə-păs′ĭ-təns). The capacitance depends on the size of the plates, the type of insulator, and the amount of space between the plates.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  capacitor - an electrical device characterized by its capacity to store an electric chargebypass capacitor, bypass condenser - a capacitor that provides low impedance over certain (high) frequencies circuit, electric circuit, electrical circuit - an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow electrical distributor, distributer, distributor - electrical device that distributes voltage to the spark plugs of a gasoline engine in the order of the firing sequence electrical device - a device that produces or is powered by electricity electrolytic, electrolytic capacitor, electrolytic condenser - a fixed capacitor consisting of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte Leiden jar, Leyden jar - an electrostatic capacitor of historical interest trimming capacitor, trimmer - capacitor having variable capacitance; used for making fine adjustments |
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Translations
kondenzátor
kapacitorkondenzator
kondenzátor
condensator
kondenzator
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
capacitor
n → Kondensator m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995