The opposition offered by a coil to the flow of alternating current, ignoring resistance, is called?

The opposition offered by a coil to the flow of alternating current, ignoring resistance, is called?

• A. Inductive reactance
• B. Impedance
• C. Capacitive reactance
• D. Resistance

Answer: (A)

An inductor in an AC circuit resists changes in current because its magnetic field stores energy. When you ignore any resistive losses, this opposition to current flow is called inductive reactance. It depends on frequency: X_L = ωL = 2πfL, and for an ideal inductor the impedance is Z = jX_L, meaning the current lags the voltage by 90 degrees. This differs from resistance, which is not frequency-dependent, and from capacitive reactance, which is the opposition in a capacitor and causes current to lead voltage.

An inductor in an AC circuit resists changes in current because its magnetic field stores energy. When you ignore any resistive losses, this opposition to current flow is called inductive reactance. It depends on frequency: X_L = ωL = 2πfL, and for an ideal inductor the impedance is Z = jX_L, meaning the current lags the voltage by 90 degrees. This differs from resistance, which is not frequency-dependent, and from capacitive reactance, which is the opposition in a capacitor and causes current to lead voltage.