The difference between “Capacitor” and “Capacitance”

The difference between “Capacitor” and “Capacitance” lies in their meanings and concepts:

1. Capacitor: A capacitor is an electronic component, also known as a “capacitance,” that is used to store electric charge. It consists of two conductors separated by an insulating material, and it can store charge between these two conductors. Capacitors are primarily used to store electric energy and can serve various purposes in circuits, such as blocking direct current while allowing alternating current to pass, coupling signals, filtering, tuning, and more. The unit of capacitance is the Farad (F), and capacitors of different values can be constructed using various materials and designs.
2. Capacitance: Capacitance is a physical quantity used to describe the ability of a capacitor to store electric charge. It refers to the ratio of the stored charge to the voltage across the capacitor. Capacitance is a property associated with a capacitor and is measured in Farads (F). Unlike a capacitor, which is a physical component, capacitance is a measurement of how much charge a capacitor can store for a given voltage.

In summary, capacitance is the measurement of a capacitor’s ability to store electric charge, while a capacitor is the physical device used to store that charge in electronic circuits.