Valence is a scientific term in chemistry to describe electrons in the outermost orbital. Valence electrons are used by atoms in chemical reactions and are generally the most important factor in determining which reactions can and cannot take place, especially in covalent bonding. In the American periodic table, the number of valence electrons one neutral atom has corresponds to its A group number.

See also: Valency (lists valence numbers for certain atoms)

In linguistics, valence refers to the number of arguments that a verb can take. For example, a monovalent verb (e.g., "sleep") cannot take a direct object ("He sleeps," versus "He sleeps it."). A trivalent verb has three arguments (e.g., "give" has the giver, the givee, and the thing given).

For a more detailed explanation, see verb.

In psychology and neuroscience, valence refers to the emotional value associated with a stimulus; e.g., a familiar face can have positive valence.

In mathematics, the valence of a vertex v is the number of edges that are incident on v. Consider a cube: three edges meet at a vertex, so each vertex has a valence equal to three.

Valence is the name of several communes of France:

• Valence, in the Charente département
• Valence, préfecture (capital) of the Drôme département
• Valence, in the Tarn-et-Garonne département

also:

• Valence-d'Albigeois, in the Tarn département
• Valence-en-Brie, in the Seine-et-Marne département
• Valence-sur-Baïse, in the Gers département