latenção

Latenção is a term that is not widely established in standard Portuguese dictionaries. In practice, it is usually a misspelling or informal variation of latência, which denotes delay or the amount of time that elapses before a result or effect appears. Because of this variability, the concept behind latenção is typically understood through its more widely used counterpart latência.

Latência is a generic term for a time interval between a cause and its effect, and it is applied across several fields. In computing and telecommunications, latency refers to the delay in data transmission and processing, usually measured in milliseconds. Factors that contribute to latency include propagation delay (the time for a signal to travel through a medium), transmission delay (time to push bits onto a link), processing delay (time devices take to handle data), and queuing delay (waiting time in buffers). High latency can impair interactive applications, streaming, and online gaming, where low latency is desirable.

In biology and psychology, latency can describe reaction time—the interval between a sensory stimulus and the organism’s response. In electronics and signal processing, latency denotes the delay introduced by circuits and devices, which can affect the timeliness of systems and feedback loops.

If latenção appears in a text, it is advisable to determine whether the author intended latência, a regional or nonstandard spelling, or a typographical error. See also latência for standard usage.