Kapacitansvolt

Kapacitansvolt is a term that appears in some German-language electronics teaching materials to refer to the voltage across a capacitor. It is not an official SI quantity or unit; the standard term used in engineering is simply the voltage, measured in volts, across the capacitor.

As a concept, the Kapacitansvolt denotes the electrical potential difference between the capacitor’s terminals, often written as V_C. It relates to the capacitor’s charge Q and its capacitance C through the relation V_C = Q / C. The energy stored in the capacitor is E = 1/2 C V_C^2. In AC circuits, the capacitor also has an impedance Z_C = 1/(jωC), and the instantaneous voltage across it is determined by circuit conditions; the use of the term Kapacitansvolt does not introduce new physics beyond these standard relationships.

Usage and caveats: the term is mainly found in introductory materials to help students connect charge, capacitance, and voltage. In formal engineering practice, V_C or simply the capacitor’s voltage is preferred, and the non-standard term can lead to confusion if used outside teaching contexts.

See also: Capacitance, Capacitor, Voltage, Energy storage in capacitors.