22.5 Inductive Reactance

 

In a simple resistor circuit, we defined resistance R by

V = I R

In a similar fashion, we can write

V_L = I X_L

where V_L is the maximum voltage across the inductor and I is the maximum current through the circuit. X_L is called the "inductive reactance"; it is analogous to resistance and is also measured in ohms (). The "inductive reactance", X_L, is given by

X_L, the "Inductive Reactance" plays a role very similar to that of R, the resistance. The inductive reactance is a measure of how difficult it is for current to flow. With AC circuits, this depends upon the frequency.

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(c) Doug Davis, 2002; all rights reserved