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Reactance:
Capacitors
and inductors
(coils), when connected to an AC voltage source, oppose the flow of
electrical current. The amount of opposition depends on the value of the
component (capacitor or inductor) and the applied frequency.
Capacitors block direct current and tend to block lower
frequencies. Inductors pass low frequencies with little or no
opposition and tend to block higher frequencies. In theory a perfect
inductor or capacitor has no resistance. The reactance of a capacitor or
inductor is similar to the resistance
of a resistor.
The biggest difference is that a resistor opposes AC equally as frequency
changes. The reactance of a coil (inductor) or capacitor changes with
frequency. |
