What is the term for opposition to current flow caused by capacitance in an AC circuit?

What is the term for opposition to current flow caused by capacitance in an AC circuit?

• A. Inductive Reactance (XL)
• B. Power Factor
• C. Capacitive Reactance (XC)
• D. Impedance (Z)

Answer: (C)

Capacitive reactance is the opposition to current flow produced by a capacitor in an AC circuit. It behaves like a resistance, but it depends on frequency and the capacitor’s value, given by XC = 1/(2πfC). Because of the energy storage in the electric field of a capacitor, the current leads the voltage by 90 degrees in a purely capacitive circuit. This contrasts with inductive reactance, where the current lags the voltage and XL = 2πfL increases with frequency. Impedance is the overall opposition to current, combining resistance and reactance, while power factor describes how effectively real power is used—related to the phase between current and voltage but not the specific capacitive opposition itself.

Capacitive reactance is the opposition to current flow produced by a capacitor in an AC circuit. It behaves like a resistance, but it depends on frequency and the capacitor’s value, given by XC = 1/(2πfC). Because of the energy storage in the electric field of a capacitor, the current leads the voltage by 90 degrees in a purely capacitive circuit. This contrasts with inductive reactance, where the current lags the voltage and XL = 2πfL increases with frequency. Impedance is the overall opposition to current, combining resistance and reactance, while power factor describes how effectively real power is used—related to the phase between current and voltage but not the specific capacitive opposition itself.