impedance
n. C / Un. the total resistance that a circuit gives to an electric current. It is like a measure of how much a system slows down the flow of energy.
n. the effective resistance of an electric circuit or component to alternating current, arising from the combined effects of ohmic resistance and reactance. Often used in technical contexts to describe the opposition to energy flow in any physical system.
The speakers have an impedance of eight ohms.
Engineers must match the impedance of the transmitter to the antenna to ensure maximum power transfer and signal clarity.
In high-fidelity audio engineering, maintaining consistent impedance across all components is vital to prevent signal degradation and ensure the accurate reproduction of complex acoustic waveforms.
From impede + -ance. In sense 2 and sense 3 it was coined by English mathematician and physicist Oliver Heaviside in 1886.
Uncountable when referring to the general physical property; countable when referring to specific measured values or components.