A.

C CIRCUIT
Alternating current or voltage is a type of
electrical signal that varies with time about a
mean value.
It is produced by an ac source, a coil or wire
rotating in a magnetic field.
The symbol of alternating source is
The general equation is
Graphical representation
 Advantages of A.C over D.C
1. The production of alternating current is less
expensive than the DC system.
2. A wide range of voltages can be achieved by
using transformers in AC systems.
3. AC systems can easily be modified into DC
type by using rectifiers.
4. Electrical energy is transmitted in a.c form to
minimize energy loss.
 Terms used in a.c circuit
Reactance: It is the opposition to the flow of
current in an a.c circuit containing either a
capacitor or an inductor. It is measured in ohms.
Impedance (Z): it is the overall opposition to the
flow of current in an a.c circuit by any two or all
of the three circuit elements i.e, resistor,
inductor and capacitor. It is measured in ohms.
 Root-mean-square(rms) value
The rms voltage (Vrms) is defined as the steady
voltage which would produce the same heating
effect as an equivalent direct voltage (D.C) in a
given resistor.
The rms current (Irms) is defined as the steady
current which would produce the same heating
effect as an equivalent current in a given
resistor.
or = or 0.707

or = or 0.707
RESISTOR (R) IN AN A.C CIRCUIT
Current and the voltage attain maximum and
minimum at the same time. Hence, they are in
phase.
CAPACITOR (C) IN AN A.C
When an a.c is applied through a capacitor,
current leads voltage by
INDUCTOR(L) IN AN A.C
When an a.c is applied through an inductor,
voltage leads current by
 Capacitive Reactance (
It is the ability of a capacitor to resist the flow of
current in an a.c circuit.
is given by:
•
•
Xc is in ohms (𝛀)
Capacitance of a capacitor is in Farad(F)
 Inductive Reactance
It is the ability of an inductor to resist the flow of
current in an a.c circuit.
is given by:
•
•
An inductor has an inductance (L), measured in
Henry (H)
is measured in ohms (𝛀)
 Example 1
A capacitor of is used in a radio circuit where
the frequency is and the current is . Calculate
the voltage across the capacitor.
Solution:

(
V= x
V = 0.00064V
 Example 2
An inductor of 2H and a negligible resistor is
connected to 12V mains supply. If the frequency
is , find the current flowing.
Solution:
 A.C SERIES CIRCUITS
1. Capacitor and Resistor in series circuit (R-C
series circuit)
2. Resistor and Inductor in series circuit (R-L
series circuit)
3. Resistor, Inductor and Capacitor in series
circuit (R-L-C Circuit)
Capacitor and Resistor in series circuit (R-C
series circuit)
For R-C series circuit, I leads V.
Current leads voltage by .
From the vector diagram above,
Resistor and Inductor in series circuit (R-L
series circuit)
For R-L series circuit, V leads I.
Voltage leads by on the current.
Considering the vector diagram,

For the phase angle,

Resistor, Inductor and Capacitor in series
circuit (R-L-C series Circuit):
Vector diagram of RLC series circuit
 Example 3
A inductor is connected in series with a non-
inductive resistor of across a 50V alternating at .
Calculate the r.m.s value of the current in the circuit.
Solution:
 POWER IN A.C. CIRCUITS
The average power dissipated in an a.c. circuit per
cycle is given as:
P = IVcosƟ (where cosƟ = power factor, I=Irms
and Vrms, Ɵ = phase difference between I and
cosƟ )

According to ohm’s law,

Power is always dissipated in a resistor. This is
because the current and the voltage are in
phase.
Power dissipation is zero both in an inductor and
a capacitor because the voltage and current are
out of phase by .
Therefore, in an a.c. circuit containing inductor,
capacitor and a resistor in series, power is only
dissipated in the resistor.
 Example 5
A circuit consists of a resistor 500ohms and a capacitor
of 5μF connected in series. If an alternating voltage of
10v and frequency 50 Hz is applied across the series
circuit, calculate
(a) The reactance of the capacitor
(b) The current flowing in the circuit
(c) The voltage across the capacitor
(d) If the capacitor is replaced with an inductor of
150mH, calculate the impedance and voltage across
the inductor
(a) .
(b) since there is no L
= 809.5 ohms
A = 12.35 x 10 – 3 A
(c) vc = IXc = 12.35 x 10 – 3 x 636.62 = 7.86V
XL x 50 x 10 – 3 ohms = 47.12ohms

I = V/Z = 10/502.2 = 19.9 x 10 – 3 A

V = IXL = 19.9 x 10 – 3 x 47.12 = 938 x 10 – 3 V
 Resonance
Resonance in an AC series circuit occurs when the inductive
reactance (XL) and capacitive reactance (XC) are equal.
At this point:
i. impedance is minimum
ii. current is maximum.
iii. XL = XC
iv. VL = VC
The frequency at which this occurs is called the resonant
frequency (fo).
Resonance in an AC series circuit is important in applications, such
as in radio and TV tuning circuits.
 Resonant freqency
fo = or
 Energy stored inR, C or L
 Energy stored in a resistor is given by
E = Ivt or I2Rt or V2t/R
 Energy stored in an inductor is given by
E = ½(LI2)
 Energy stored in a capacitor is given by
E = ½(CV2) or ½(qv) or ½(q2/C)