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Inductors in AC Circuits definitions

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  • Inductor
    A passive component in AC circuits that resists changes in current, causing a phase shift between voltage and current.
  • AC Circuit
    An electrical circuit powered by an alternating current, where the current periodically reverses direction.
  • Angular Frequency
    The rate of change of the phase of a sinusoidal waveform, measured in radians per second.
  • Inductance
    A property of an inductor that quantifies its ability to store energy in a magnetic field, measured in Henrys.
  • Voltage
    The electric potential difference across a component, driving current through the circuit.
  • Phase Difference
    The angular displacement between the peaks of voltage and current waveforms in an AC circuit.
  • Inductive Reactance
    A measure of an inductor's opposition to AC, analogous to resistance, measured in Ohms.
  • Ohm
    The unit of electrical resistance, reactance, and impedance, symbolized by Ω.
  • Faraday's Law
    A principle stating that a change in magnetic field within a closed loop induces an electromotive force.
  • Cosine
    A trigonometric function representing the adjacent side over hypotenuse in a right triangle, used in waveform equations.
  • Kirchhoff's Loop Rule
    A principle stating that the sum of the voltages around any closed loop in a circuit must equal zero.
  • Linear Frequency
    The number of cycles per second of a periodic waveform, measured in Hertz.
  • Hertz
    The unit of frequency, representing one cycle per second, symbolized by Hz.
  • Maximum Voltage
    The peak value of voltage in an AC circuit, occurring at the crest of the waveform.
  • Maximum Current
    The peak value of current in an AC circuit, occurring at the crest of the waveform.