Capacitance is the ability of an electrical circuit or device to:

Capacitance is fundamentally defined as the ability of an electrical circuit or device to store an electrical charge. When a capacitor is connected to a voltage source, it accumulates electrical energy in the form of an electric field. This stored energy can be released when needed in the circuit.

The principle behind capacitance involves two conductive plates separated by an insulating material (dielectric). When a voltage is applied across these plates, positive charge accumulates on one plate and negative charge on the other, creating a potential difference and storing energy. The amount of charge a capacitor can store is proportional to the voltage across it, represented by the formula Q = C × V, where Q is the charge, C is the capacitance, and V is the voltage.

This property of storing charge is essential in various applications, from smoothing out voltage fluctuations in power supplies to providing timing in oscillator circuits. Understanding capacitance is critical for BMETs as they work with various biomedical devices that rely on capacitors to function correctly.