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Inductors and capacitors are the only devices that provide resistance to AC, which is termed reactance. In contrast, impedance is the sum of an inductor’s resistance and reactance. The reactance is just the obstacle to the AC flow of current supplied by simply two elements – the inductor and the capacitor.
There will be reactance inside the circuit whenever there is either an inductor or a capacitor.
There will be impedance in the circuit if there are both a capacitor and an inductor or a capacitor, an inductor and a resistor.
Reactance
Capacitors and inductors both have reactance, a quality that opposes the change in current.
Reactance is particular to AC power and it relies on the rate of the current because it only impacts the changing current.
Reactance causes a 90-degree phase shift between voltage and current, which is based on whether the component is just an inductor or a capacitor.
The difference between the two is equivalent to the overall reactance (X):
X =Xl-Xc
Where:
Xl=inductive reactance
Xc=Capacitive reactance
There are two sorts of reactance:
- Capacitive reactance
- Inductive reactance
Inductive Reactance
The reaction that happens in an inductor is known as inductive reactance.
Whenever inductive reactance is available, energy is kept in the manner of a varying magnetic field and also, the current waveform lags the voltage waveform about 90 degrees.
XL=2πfL
Where,
The inductive reactance is denoted by XL.
The inductor’s inductance is L and the frequency of the alternating current is f.
For example, a 1mH inductor does have a reactance of just 0.3 for the 50Hz signal, but has a reactance of 63 once the frequency is increased to 10 kHz.
Capacitive Reactance
The reaction that happens in a capacitor is known as capacitive reactance.
The energy stored in the capacitive reactance is stored as a changing electrical field, allowing the current to lead voltage only by 90 degrees.
Capacitance is created when two conductive plates are positioned parallel towards each other with a tiny gap among them and covered with a dielectric substance (insulator).
The capacitive reactance of a capacitor linked in a circuit with capacitance C and an AC power will be given as:
Xc=1/2πfc
Where,
The capacitive reactance is denoted by XC.
The frequency of the AC power source is f.
The capacitance is shown by the letter C.
For example, a 1F capacitor does have a reactance of around 3.2k for just a 50Hz signal, but has a reactance of 16 when the frequency is increased to 10kHz.
Impedance
Impedance is the measurement of an AC circuit’s overall resistance to current, indicated by Z.
It refers to the quantity of circuit that obstructs the passage of change in simple terms.
Impedance is similar to resistance, but it also considers the effect of inductance and capacitance.
The impedance is expressed in Ohms.
Impedance is more complicated than resistance since it takes into account the effects of inductance and capacitance and fluctuates with the frequency of current going through the circuit.
The impedance fluctuates with frequency, unlike resistance, which remains constant regardless of frequency.
Impedance is represented mathematically by the letter Z, and its unit is the Ohms.
It’s a combination of both resistance and reactance.
Impedance Z is described in phasor terms as a mixture of R-resistance and X-reactance, as follows:
X = R + j X
Here, X is a mixture of XL-inductive and Xc is the capacitive reactance.
X = XL + Xc
Also, Z = V/I
Here, V refers to Voltage, I refers to Current and Z is impedance.
Impedance is divided into two categories:
- Resistance R
- Reactance X
Depending upon the nature of a reactance component of impedance, the alternating current either lags or leads the voltage.
Because inductance and capacitance produce phase shifts in current and voltage, the resistance and reactance can’t be simply added together to get impedance.
Instead, as shown below, they must be summarised as vectors having reactance at 90o to resistance:
Reactance Vs Impedance
Reactance | Impedance |
The reactance is a measurement of capacitance and inductance’s resistance to current. | The impedance of a circuit is a measurement of its overall resistance to current. |
Capacitive reactance and inductive reactance are the two types of reactance. | There are two sections to the impedance. Resistance R and Reactance X are the two different types of resistance. |
There’ll be reactance when there is either an inductor or a capacitor in the circuit. | When both a capacitor and a resistor are present in a circuit, an impedance is created. |
The letter X represents the reactance. | Impedance is shown by the symbol Z. |
The Ohms unit is used to measure the reactance. | The impedance is expressed in Ohms but in a complicated manner. |
Conclusion
Reactance and impedance are two fascinating phenomena. Inductors and capacitors are the only devices that provide resistance to AC, which is termed reactance. In contrast, impedance is the sum of an inductor’s resistance and reactance. There will be reactance when there is either an inductor or a capacitor in the circuit and when both a capacitor and a resistor are present in a circuit, an impedance is created.
There are two types of reactance – capacitive reactance and inductive reactance. Impedance is divided into two categories – resistance and reactance. The letter X represents the reactance and the letter Z is used to denote impedance.
