If the capacitance in an AC circuit is increased, what happens to the capacitive
Practice Questions
Q1
If the capacitance in an AC circuit is increased, what happens to the capacitive reactance? (2023)
It increases
It decreases
It remains the same
It becomes zero
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the capacitance in an AC circuit is increased, what happens to the capacitive reactance? (2023)
Step 1: Understand what capacitive reactance (XC) is. It is a measure of how much a capacitor resists the flow of alternating current (AC).
Step 2: Know the formula for capacitive reactance: XC = 1/(ωC), where ω (omega) is the angular frequency of the AC signal and C is the capacitance.
Step 3: Identify what happens when capacitance (C) increases. According to the formula, if C increases, the denominator (ωC) becomes larger.
Step 4: Realize that if the denominator in the formula increases, the overall value of XC (capacitive reactance) must decrease.
Step 5: Conclude that increasing capacitance in an AC circuit results in a decrease in capacitive reactance.
Capacitive Reactance – Capacitive reactance (XC) is the opposition that a capacitor offers to the flow of alternating current (AC), which is inversely proportional to both the frequency (ω) of the AC signal and the capacitance (C) of the capacitor.