This is a glossary of some of the terms most commonly associated with ultracapacitors. We hope you find this useful in navigating the information we have on this site. Our glossary also allows you to save the terms you find most helpful for easy reference later. (Don't already have an ultracpacitor.com account? Sign up!)

Active Area: The area of overlap between capacitor plates. The size of the active area determines the magnitude of the capacitor's capacitance, with greater active area signifying greater capacitance.

Battery: An instrument that contains at least one electrochemical cell, which stores chemical energy and releases that energy in an electrical form for use. Usually, a battery contains several of these electrochemical cells connected in a series. These cells can be one of many electrochemical cell types, including electrolytic, flow, fuel, galvanic, and/or voltaic. Some batteries are rechargeable; rechargeable batteries can frequently be replaced by ultracapacitors.

Boostcap®: Maxwell Technologies' line of ultracapacitors, available from Tecate Group. For more information about how to purchase ultracapacitors, visit Buy Ultracapacitors!.

Capacitance: The ability of a capacitor to hold a charge. Capacitance is usually measured in Farads (F).

Capacitor: An electronic unit that releases an electric charge to power something. Capacitors are designed with varying power levels and can be composed of any of a wide assortment of materials, including glass, ceramic material, metal film, and aerogel. Today, virtually all electronics use a capacitor of one type or another.

Coulomb (C): A standard unit of measurement for electric charge. Each coulomb is the amount of electric charge transported by a current of one ampere in one second.

Dielectric: An insulator used to stop the flow of a current between the plates of a capacitor. Dielectrics can hold electrostatic charges, but currents cannot flow between them. Examples of dielectric materials are glass, rubber, and plastic.

Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitor (EDLC): Another name for an ultracapacitor. See "Ultracapacitor" below.

Farad (F): A standard unit of measurement for capacitance. Each Farad signifies a one-volt increase with the application of a one-coulomb charge.

PowerBurst®: Tecate Group's line of ultracapacitors. For more information on how to purchase ultracapacitors, visit Buy Ultracapacitors!.

Supercapacitor: Another name for an ultracapacitor. See "Ultracapacitor" below.

Ultracapacitor: A capacitor characterized by its high power and energy density, its ability to quickly recharge and hold its charge well after multiple rechargings, its low maintenance requirements, and its functionality over a wide temperature range.

Volt (V): A standard unit of measurement for force or pressure in an electrical current.

Voltage: The force or pressure of electricity. Voltage is also called "potential."