Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Capacitor or condenser ?



At 02:28 PM 4/6/97 -0500, Roger A. Pruitt wrote:
[Ludwic K.]... What
is wrong with the term condenser? It is used in other languages.

[Roger P.]
Just because it is used in other languages doesn't make it the best term to
use. According to my dictionary condense means to produce a liquid from a
gas or vapor--a reduction to a denser form.
Roger

The Leyden jar was invented in 1745.
The jar was originally half filled with liquid as the inner conductor.

The electric essence was thought to be a fluid.
This 'fluid' was applied to the center electrode, where it entered the liquid.
The charge was then capable of storage for some time.

By analogy with condensation of steam in a water jar, what could be a
more natural label for this functionality?

But the foregoing is just a plausible 'Just-So' story, because
it appears that Volta first applied the term condenser to the metal disks
sandwiching a resin dielectric layer which he used as an electrophorus (1775).

(Src - EncBrit articles: Leyden jar, condenser, electrophorus in 14th Ed.
The term 'condenser' deprecated in later eds of EncBrit and EncAm)

Regards
brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK