The opposition offered by a coil to the flow of alternating current, disregarding resistance, is called __________.

The opposition offered by a coil to the flow of alternating current, disregarding resistance, is called __________.

• A. Phase shift
• B. Impedance
• C. Capacitive reactance
• D. Inductive reactance

Answer: (D)

When an inductor is in an AC circuit and you ignore its ohmic resistance, the coil opposes changes in current through its inductance. This opposition is called inductive reactance. It is the imaginary part of the impedance and equals X_L = ωL (or 2πfL). It increases with frequency, so higher frequencies face more opposition in an inductor. In a purely inductive situation, voltage leads current by 90 degrees. Capacitive reactance would apply to a capacitor, not a coil, and impedance would include resistance, which we're not considering here. So the term for the coil’s opposition to AC flow when resistance is neglected is inductive reactance.

When an inductor is in an AC circuit and you ignore its ohmic resistance, the coil opposes changes in current through its inductance. This opposition is called inductive reactance. It is the imaginary part of the impedance and equals X_L = ωL (or 2πfL). It increases with frequency, so higher frequencies face more opposition in an inductor. In a purely inductive situation, voltage leads current by 90 degrees. Capacitive reactance would apply to a capacitor, not a coil, and impedance would include resistance, which we're not considering here. So the term for the coil’s opposition to AC flow when resistance is neglected is inductive reactance.