What does capacitance measure?

Capacitance measures the ability to store an electric charge. This property is fundamental to capacitors, which are electronic components that can hold electric charge and release it when needed. When a voltage is applied across a capacitor, it accumulates charge on its plates, and the amount of charge stored is proportional to the voltage and the capacitance.

Understanding capacitance is crucial in electrical circuits because capacitors play a key role in filtering, timing applications, and energy storage. In various circuits, you may find capacitors used to smooth out voltage fluctuations, couple signals, or store energy for quick disbursement.

The other concepts mentioned relate to different aspects of electrical theory but do not define capacitance specifically. For instance, induction relates to generating voltage through magnetic fields, total opposition in a circuit is known as impedance, and the frequency of current flow refers to how often the current oscillates in a given time frame, which is distinct from the concept of capacitance.