time constant
The "time constant" is a measure of how quickly a system responds to changes, widely used in physics, engineering, and mathematics.
Definition
C1General Physics
(technical)The duration required for a system to reach approximately 63% of its final value after a sudden change.
Example
- In a thermal system, the time constant indicates how quickly the system responds to temperature changes.
C1Electrical Engineering
(technical)The time it takes for the voltage across a capacitor to rise to about 63% of its final value or decay to 37% of its initial value in an RC circuit.
Example
- The RC circuit's time constant determines the speed at which the capacitor charges or discharges.
C1Control Systems
(technical)A parameter indicating the speed of response of a first-order system, usually the time needed to reach 63% of the final value after a step input.
Example
- The time constant helps engineers design systems with desired response times.
C1Thermodynamics
(technical)The time it takes for a system to achieve 63% of the temperature change after a sudden thermal disturbance.
Example
- The time constant of the heating system determines how quickly the room reaches the set temperature.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "time constant":
relaxation timetransition timeintegration timeresponse timefade timeflat timerotation timelatency timeconduction timering timehold timereturn timeclearance timefundamental constantdelay timetime differentialtime curve