Capacity, Electric, or Electrostatic

The relative capacity of a conductor or system to retain a charge of electricity with the production of a given difference of potential. The greater the charge for a given change of potential, or the le the change of potential for a given charge the greater the capacity. The measure of its capacity is the amount of electricity required to raise the potential to a stated amount. The unit of capacity is the farad, q. v. Electric capacity is comparable to the capacity of a bottle for air. A given amount of air will raise the pre ure more or le , and the amount required to raise its pre ure a stated amount might be taken as the measure of capacity, and would be strictly comparable to electrostatic charge and potential change. The capacity, K, is obviously proportional to the quantity, Q, of the charge at a given potential, E, and inversely proportional to the potential, E, for a given quantity, Q, or, (1) K == Q/E and (2) Q = K * E, or, the quantity required to raise a conductor by a given potential is equal to the capacity of the conductor or system multiplied by the rise of potential. The capacity of a conductor depends upon its environments, such as the nature of the dielectric surrounding it, the proximity of oppositely charged bodies and other similar factors. (See Dielectric-Condenser-Leyden jar.) The dimensions of capacity are found by dividing a quantity of electricity by the potential produced in the conductor by such quantity. Quantity ( ((M^.5)*(L^1.5)) / T ) / potential ( ((M^.5)*(L^.5)) / T ) = l.