A lumped-element model represents an electrical circuit by discrete ideal elements such as resistors, capacitors and inductors, linked by equipotential circuit nodes. Each element is assigned terminal variables, rather than a fully resolved spatial electromagnetic field.
This approximation is effective when signal-propagation times across the circuit are short compared with the timescales of interest, and the relevant dimensions are small compared with the wavelength. A long cable carrying a rapid pulse may instead require a transmission line model: different points on the cable can have different voltages at the same instant.
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The lumped-element model is a simplification used in electrical engineering and related fields to analyze circuits and systems where spatial dimensions can be neglected. In this model, components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, and other circuit elements are considered to be "lumped" together at discrete points or nodes, as opposed to being distributed over a length or volume.