What measurement indicates the opposition to current in an AC circuit?

What measurement indicates the opposition to current in an AC circuit?

• A. Resistance
• B. Inductance
• C. Capacitance
• D. Impedance

Answer: (D)

The measurement that indicates the opposition to current in an AC circuit is impedance. In alternating current (AC) circuits, impedance is a complex quantity that combines resistance, inductance, and capacitance. It accounts for not only the opposition to the flow of electric current (as resistance does in direct current circuits) but also the phase shifts created by inductors and capacitors. Impedance is represented as a combination of a real part (resistance) and an imaginary part (reactance), which can be either inductive or capacitive. This makes it particularly important for analyzing AC circuits since they involve sinusoidal currents and voltages that vary over time. In contrast, resistance measures only the real part of impedance and does not consider the effects of inductors and capacitors in the circuit. Inductance and capacitance refer specifically to the properties of inductors and capacitors, respectively, but do not by themselves measure the total opposition to current in an AC circuit. Thus, impedance is the most comprehensive measure of opposition in these types of circuits.

The measurement that indicates the opposition to current in an AC circuit is impedance. In alternating current (AC) circuits, impedance is a complex quantity that combines resistance, inductance, and capacitance. It accounts for not only the opposition to the flow of electric current (as resistance does in direct current circuits) but also the phase shifts created by inductors and capacitors.

Impedance is represented as a combination of a real part (resistance) and an imaginary part (reactance), which can be either inductive or capacitive. This makes it particularly important for analyzing AC circuits since they involve sinusoidal currents and voltages that vary over time.

In contrast, resistance measures only the real part of impedance and does not consider the effects of inductors and capacitors in the circuit. Inductance and capacitance refer specifically to the properties of inductors and capacitors, respectively, but do not by themselves measure the total opposition to current in an AC circuit. Thus, impedance is the most comprehensive measure of opposition in these types of circuits.