time constant
noun Electricity.
the time required for a changing quantity in a circuit, as voltage or current, to rise or fall approximately 0.632 of the difference between its old and new value after an impulse has been applied that induces such a change: equal in seconds to the inductance of the circuit in henries divided by its resistance in ohms.
Origin of time constant
First recorded in 1890–95
Words nearby time constant
time capsule,
time chart,
time charter,
time clock,
time code,
time constant,
time copy,
time deposit,
time dilatation,
time dilation,
time discount
British Dictionary definitions for time constant
time constant
noun
electronics
the time required for the current or voltage in a circuit to rise or fall exponentially through approximately 63 per cent of its amplitude