An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

The ability to receive or contain.
Electricity: → capacitance.

From M.Fr. capacité, from L. capacitatem, from capax "able to hold much," from capere "to take, grasp."

Gonjâyeš "capacity, holding, containing," from gonjdan "to be contained; to hold exactly; to be filled;" Mid.Pers. winj- "to be contained;" Proto-Iranian *uiac-/*uic-; cf. Skt. vyac- "to contain, encompass," vyás- "extent, content, extension;" L. uincire "to bind."

The ratio of an amount of heat, dQ, transferred to a body in some process to the corresponding change in the temperature of the body: C = dQ/dT. The heat capacity depends upon the mass of the body, its chemical composition, thermodynamic state, and the kind of process employed to transfer the heat. The word "capacity" may be misleading because it suggests the essentially meaningless statement "the amount of heat a body can hold," whereas what is meant is the heat added per unit temperature rise. → specific heat.

→ heat; → capacity.

The amount of information which can be retained in a memory, usually expressed as the number of words which can be retained. For comparison of different memories this number is expressed in bits.

→ memory; → capacity.

The → heat capacity of one → mole of substance: C_μ = μ C, where μ is the → molecular weight and C the → specific heat capacity. The molar heat capacity of water is practically 18 cal/mole.C°.

Molar, adj. of → mole; → heat; → capacity.