Chapter 23

Alternating Current Circuits

Outline
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

Capacitors and
Capacitive Reactance
Inductors and Inductive
Reactance
Circuits Containing
Resistance, Capacitance,
and Inductance
Resonance in Electric
Circuits
Semiconductor Devices

1- Capacitors and Capacitive Reactance

Vrms I rms R
The resistance in a purely resistive circuit has the same value
at all frequencies.

iR and VR are in phase: V = I R

Note: the average value of the current over one cycle is

zero!

Capacitors in an AC Circuit
q
V q cV c Vm sin t
c
dq

but i
c Vm cos t I m sin t
dt 14 2 43
2

Im

V Vm sin t

i I m sin t
2

Not in phase: the voltage lags behind the current by 90o

Vm
1
1

X C CAPACITIVE REACTANCE
I m C C 2 f
Note: if f ; 0 DC X C I m ; 0 No current
and VC IX C

Example 1 A Capacitor in an AC Circuit

The capacitance is 1.50F and the rms
voltage is 25.0 V. What is the rms current
when the frequency is (a) 100 Hz and
(b) 5000 Hz?

(a)

XC

I rms

(b)

1
1

1060
2 fC 2 100 Hz 1.50 10 6 F

Vrms 25.0 V

0.0236 A
X C 1060

XC

I rms

1
1

21.2
6
2 fC 2 5000 Hz 1.50 10 F

Vrms 25.0 V

1.18 A
X C 21.2

Phasor diagram
In the phasor model, the voltage
and current are represented by
rotating arrows (called phasors).
These phasors rotate at a frequency f.
The vertical component of the phasor
is the instantaneous value of the current
or voltage.

2- Inductors in an AC Circuit
di
VL L 0
dt
i

di
VL L Vm sin t
dt

Vm
V
sin t .dt m cos t
L
L

Vm

i
sin t
L
2

VL Vm sin t

Vm

i
sin t
L
2

Not in phase: the voltage leads the current by 90o

Vm
Vm
Im
XL
L INDUCTIVE REACTANCE
L
Im
Also V X L I

Phasor diagram

3- Circuits containing resistance,

capacitance, and inductance

Phasor diagram

= I XL

Direction of
Current

=IR
= I XC

Phasor diagram
VTOT

2
V

V
L C R

VL VC
tan
VR

 V I R X L XC
2

ZTOT R X L X C Total impedance of RLC circuit

2

X L XC
tan
R
With:

X L L
1
XC

C

In phase with i

ZR R

Leads i by 90o

Z L L

Lags behind i by
90o

1
ZC
C

Sum

Conceptual Example 4 The Limiting Behavior of

Capacitors and Inductors
The rms voltage of the generator is the same in each
case. The values of the resistance, capacitance, and
inductance are the same. The frequency of the ac
generator is very near zero.
In which circuit does the generator supply more rms
current?

Equivalent to

Power in an AC Circuit
After 1 cycle, capacitors and inductors do not
dissipate energy. They actually store energy during
the first half cycle and the same amount during the
second half cycle.
The only power lost is across the resistor:

Pav IVR but VR V cos

Pav IV cos
cos power factor

Pav is maximal for cos 1 ; 0

o
2
L
C

4- Resonance in electric circuits

V
I

R2 X L X C

For X L X C
1
L
C

1
1
and f 0
Resonant frequency 0
LC
2 LC

5- Semiconductor devices
Semiconductor devices such as diodes and transistors are widely
used in modern electronics.

n-type and p-type

semiconductors
The semiconducting materials (silicon and
germanium) used to make diodes and
transistors are doped by adding small
amounts of an impurity element.

The semiconductor diode

At the junction between the n and p materials, mobile electrons and

holes combine and create positive and negative charge layers.

There is an appreciable current through the diode when the

diode is forward biased.
Under a reverse bias, there is almost no current through the
diode.