rc

RC is a widely used initialism that refers to several distinct concepts across different fields. The most common meanings are radio-controlled devices, the software development term Release Candidate, and the Roman Catholic Church. In electronics and consumer products, RC can also describe components, networks, or control methods. The exact meaning is determined by context.

Radio-controlled. RC describes models such as cars, aircraft, boats, and drones whose movements are controlled remotely by a hand-held transmitter linked to a receiver in the model. Hobbyists select components including servos, electronic speed controllers, batteries, and antennas. Control systems vary from simple on-off to proportional steering and throttle, with frequencies largely in the 2.4 GHz band today.

RC circuit. In electronics, an RC circuit contains a resistor and a capacitor that form a simple filter or timing network. The time constant tau = R × C determines how quickly the circuit charges or discharges, governing the ramp rate in filters and the delay in timers.

Release Candidate. In software development, an RC or Release Candidate is a version released to users for final testing before the stable release. If testing reveals no critical issues, the RC becomes the final product. Multiple RC builds may occur in a deployment cycle.

Roman Catholic. RC is also used as an abbreviation for Roman Catholic, referring to the Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian church, with a centralized hierarchy led by the pope in Vatican City.

Other uses. The term appears in branding and product naming (for example, RC Cola) and in contexts such as “remote control” to describe devices operated at a distance.