734 Chapter 23 Alternating Current Circuits

Concept Summary
23.1 Capacitors and Capacitive Reactance In an ac circuit the rms voltage Vrms across a
Vrms Irms XC (23.1) capacitor is related to the rms current Irms by Equation 23.1, where XC is the capacitive reactance. The
capacitive reactance is measured in ohms () and is given by Equation 23.2, where f is the frequency
1
XC (23.2) and C is the capacitance. The ac current in a capacitor leads the voltage across the capacitor by a
2 fC phase angle of 90 or /2 radians. As a result, a capacitor consumes no power, on average.
The phasor model is useful for analyzing the voltage and current in an ac circuit. In this model,
the voltage and current are represented by rotating arrows, called phasors. The length of the voltage
phasor represents the maximum voltage V0 , and the length of the current phasor represents the
maximum current I0 . The phasors rotate in a counterclockwise direction at a frequency f. Since the
current leads the voltage by 90 in a capacitor, the current phasor is ahead of the voltage phasor by
90 in the direction of rotation. The instantaneous values of the voltage and current are equal to the
vertical components of the corresponding phasors.

23.2 Inductors and Inductive Reactance In an ac circuit the rms voltage Vrms across an inductor
Vrms Irms XL (23.3) is related to the rms current Irms by Equation 23.3, where XL is the inductive reactance. The inductive
reactance is measured in ohms () and is given by Equation 23.4, where f is the frequency and L
XL 2f L (23.4)
is the inductance. The ac current in an inductor lags behind the voltage across the inductor by a
phase angle of 90 or /2 radians. Consequently, an inductor, like a capacitor, consumes no power,
on average.
The voltage and current phasors in a circuit containing only an inductor also rotate in a counter-
clockwise direction at a frequency f. However, since the current lags the voltage by 90 in an inductor,
the current phasor is behind the voltage phasor by 90 in the direction of rotation. The instantaneous
values of the voltage and current are equal to the vertical components of the corresponding phasors.

23.3 Circuits Containing Resistance, Capacitance, and Inductance When a resistor, a

capacitor, and an inductor are connected in series, the rms voltage across the combination is related
Vrms Irms Z (23.6) to the rms current according to Equation 23.6, where Z is the impedance of the combination. The
impedance is measured in ohms () and is given by Equation 23.7, where R is the resistance, and XL
Z vR2 (XL XC)2 (23.7)
and XC are, respectively, the inductive and capacitive reactances.
The tangent of the phase angle between current and voltage in a series RCL circuit is given by
XL XC
tan (23.8) Equation 23.8.
R Only the resistor in the RCL combination consumes power, on average. The average power P
P IrmsVrms cos (23.9) consumed in the circuit is given by Equation 23.9, where cos is called the power factor of the circuit.

23.4 Resonance in Electric Circuits A series RCL circuit has a resonant frequency f 0 that is given
1
f0 (23.10) by Equation 23.10, where L is the inductance and C is the capacitance. At resonance, the impedance of
21LC
the circuit has a minimum value equal to the resistance R, and the rms current has a maximum value.

23.5 Semiconductor Devices In an n-type semiconductor, mobile negative electrons carry the
current. An n-type material is produced by doping a semiconductor such as silicon with a small
amount of impurity atoms such as phosphorus. In a p-type semiconductor, mobile positive holes in
the crystal structure carry the current. A p-type material is produced by doping a semiconductor with
a small amount of impurity atoms such as boron. These two types of semiconductors are used in
p-n junction diodes, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and pnp and npn bipolar junction transistors.

Focus on Concepts
Note to Instructors: The numbering of the questions shown here reflects the fact that they are only a representative subset of the total number that are available
online. However, all of the questions are available for assignment via an online homework management program such as WileyPLUS or WebAssign.

Section 23.1 Capacitors and Capacitive Reactance

1. A circuit contains an ac generator and a resistor. What happens to
the average power dissipated in the resistor when the frequency is
doubled and the rms voltage is tripled? (a) Nothing happens, because
the average power does not depend on either the frequency or the rms
voltage. (b) The average power doubles because it is proportional to
the frequency. (c) The average power triples because it is proportional
to the rms voltage. (d) The average power increases by a factor of
32 9 because it is proportional to the square of the rms voltage.
(e) The average power increases by a factor of 2 3 6 because it is
proportional to the product of the frequency and the rms voltage.

Section 23.2 Inductors and Inductive Reactance
4. What happens to the capacitive reactance XC and the inductive
reactance XL if the frequency of the ac voltage is doubled? (a) XC
increases by a factor of 2, and XL decreases by a factor of 2. (b) XC
and XL both increase by a factor of 2. (c) XC and XL do not change.
(d) XC and XL both decrease by a factor of 2. (e) XC decreases by a
factor of 2, and XL increases by a factor of 2.
8. Each of the four phasor diagrams represents a different circuit. V0 and
I0 represent, respectively, the maximum voltage of the generator and the
current in the circuit. Which circuit contains only a resistor? (a) A
(b) B (c) C (d) D
V0 V0
I0
90
90
I0
A B
I0 V0 V0
I0
C D
Section 23.3 Circuits Containing Resistance, Capacitance,
and Inductance
11. The table shows the rms voltage VC across the capacitor and the rms
voltage VL across the inductor for three series RCL circuits. In which
circuit does the rms voltage across the entire RCL combination lead
the current through the combination? (a) Circuit 1 (b) Circuit 2
(c) Circuit 3 (d) The total rms voltage across the RCL combination
does not lead the current in any of the circuits.
Problems
Note to Instructors: Most of the homework problems in this chapter are available for assignment via an online homework management program such as
WileyPLUS or WebAssign, and those marked with the icons and are presented in WileyPLUS using a guided tutorial format that provides enhanced
interactivity. See the Preface for additional details.
Note: For problems in this set, the ac current and voltage are rms values, and the power is an average value, unless indicated otherwise.
ssm Solution is in the Student Solutions Manual.
mmh Problem-solving help is available online at www.wiley.com/college/cutnell.
Section 23.1 Capacitors and Capacitive Reactance
1. ssm A 63.0-F capacitor is connected to a generator operating at a
low frequency. The rms voltage of the generator is 4.00 V and is constant.
A fuse in series with the capacitor has negligible resistance and will burn
out when the rms current reaches 15.0 A. As the generator frequency is
increased, at what frequency will the fuse burn out?
Problems 735
11. Continued Circuit VC VL
1 50 V 100 V
2 100 V 50 V
3 50 V 50 V
15. A capacitor and an inductor are connected to an ac generator in two
ways: in series and in parallel (see the drawing). At low frequencies,
which circuit has the greater current? (a) The series circuit, because the
impedance of the circuit is small due to the small reactances of both the
inductor and the capacitor. (b) The series circuit, because the impedance
of the circuit is large due to the large reactances of both the inductor
and the capacitor. (c) The parallel circuit, because the impedance of the
circuit is small due to the large reactance of the inductor. (d) The parallel
circuit, because the impedance of the circuit is large due to the large
reactance of the inductor. (e) The parallel circuit, because the impedance
of the circuit is small due to the small reactance of the inductor.
L C C
L
Series Parallel
Section 23.4 Resonance in Electric Circuits
18. In an RCL circuit a second capacitor is added in parallel to the
capacitor already present. Does the resonant frequency of the circuit
increase, decrease, or remain the same? (a) The resonant frequency
increases, because it depends inversely on the square root of the capaci-
tance, and the equivalent capacitance decreases when a second capacitor
is added in parallel. (b) The resonant frequency increases, because it is
directly proportional to the capacitance, and the equivalent capacitance
increases when a second capacitor is added in parallel. (c) The resonant
frequency decreases, because it is directly proportional to the capaci-
tance, and the equivalent capacitance decreases when a second capacitor
is added in parallel. (d) The resonant frequency decreases, because it
depends inversely on the square root of the capacitance, and the equivalent
capacitance increases when a second capacitor is added in parallel.
(e) The resonant frequency remains the same.
This icon represents a biomedical application.
2. Two identical capacitors are connected in parallel to an ac
generator that has a frequency of 610 Hz and produces a voltage of 24 V.
The current in the circuit is 0.16 A. What is the capacitance of each
capacitor?
3. The reactance of a capacitor is 68 when the ac frequency is 460 Hz.
What is the reactance when the frequency is 870 Hz?
 736 Chapter 23 Alternating Current Circuits
4. A capacitor is connected to an ac generator that has a frequency
of 3.4 kHz and produces a voltage of 2.0 V. The current in the capacitor
is 35 mA. When the same capacitor is connected to a second ac generator
that has a frequency of 5.0 kHz, the current in the capacitor is 85 mA.
What voltage does the second generator produce?
5. ssm A capacitor is connected across the terminals of an ac generator
that has a frequency of 440 Hz and supplies a voltage of 24 V. When a
second capacitor is connected in parallel with the first one, the current
from the generator increases by 0.18 A. Find the capacitance of the second
capacitor.
* 6. Two parallel plate capacitors are identical, except that one of
them is empty and the other contains a material with a dielectric constant
of 4.2 in the space between the plates. The empty capacitor is connected
between the terminals of an ac generator that has a fixed frequency and
rms voltage. The generator delivers a current of 0.22 A. What current
does the generator deliver after the other capacitor is connected in parallel
with the first one?
* 7. A capacitor is connected across an ac generator whose frequency
is 750 Hz and whose peak output voltage is 140 V. The rms current in
the circuit is 3.0 A. (a) What is the capacitance of the capacitor?
(b) What is the magnitude of the maximum charge on one plate of the
capacitor?
** 8. A capacitor (capacitance C1) is connected across the terminals of an
ac generator. Without changing the voltage or frequency of the generator,
a second capacitor (capacitance C2) is added in series with the first one.
As a result, the current delivered by the generator decreases by a factor
of three. Suppose that the second capacitor had been added in parallel
with the first one, instead of in series. By what factor would the current
delivered by the generator have increased?
Section 23.2 Inductors and Inductive Reactance
9. ssm An 8.2-mH inductor is connected to an ac generator (10.0 V rms,
620 Hz). Determine the peak value of the current supplied by the generator.
10. An inductor has an inductance of 0.080 H. The voltage across this
inductor is 55 V and has a frequency of 650 Hz. What is the current in
the inductor?
11. An inductor is to be connected to the terminals of a generator
(rms voltage 15.0 V) so that the resulting rms current will be 0.610 A.
Determine the required inductive reactance.
12. An ac generator has a frequency of 7.5 kHz and a voltage of
39 V. When an inductor is connected between the terminals of this
generator, the current in the inductor is 42 mA. What is the inductance of
the inductor?
13. A 40.0-F capacitor is connected across a 60.0-Hz generator.
An inductor is then connected in parallel with the capacitor. What is the
value of the inductance if the rms currents in the inductor and capacitor
are equal?
14. An ac generator has a frequency of 2.2 kHz and a voltage of
240 V. An inductance L 1 6.0 mH is connected across its terminals. Then
a second inductance L 2 9.0 mH is connected in parallel with L 1. Find
the current that the generator delivers to L1 and to the parallel combination.
* 15. ssm A 30.0-mH inductor has a reactance of 2.10 k. (a) What is
the frequency of the ac current that passes through the inductor?
(b) What is the capacitance of a capacitor that has the same reactance at
this frequency? The frequency is tripled, so that the reactances of the
inductor and capacitor are no longer equal. What are the new reactances
of (c) the inductor and (d) the capacitor?
** 16. Two inductors are connected in parallel across the terminals of a
generator. One has an inductance of L1 0.030 H, and the other has an
inductance of L 2 0.060 H. A single inductor, with an inductance L , is
connected across the terminals of a second generator that has the same
frequency and voltage as the first one. The current delivered by the second
generator is equal to the total current delivered by the first generator. Find L.
Section 23.3 Circuits Containing Resistance, Capacitance,
and Inductance
17. ssm A series RCL circuit includes a resistance of 275 , an inductive
reactance of 648 , and a capacitive reactance of 415 . The current in
the circuit is 0.233 A. What is the voltage of the generator?
18. A series RCL circuit contains a 47.0- resistor, a 2.00-F capacitor,
and a 4.00-mH inductor. When the frequency is 2550 Hz, what is the
power factor of the circuit?
19. ssm Multiple-Concept Example 3 reviews some of the basic ideas
that are pertinent to this problem. A circuit consists of a 215- resistor
and a 0.200-H inductor. These two elements are connected in series
across a generator that has a frequency of 106 Hz and a voltage of 234 V.
(a) What is the current in the circuit? (b) Determine the phase angle
between the current and the voltage of the generator.
20. An ac series circuit has an impedance of 192 , and the phase
angle between the current and the voltage of the generator is 75.
The circuit contains a resistor and either a capacitor or an inductor.
Find the resistance R and the capacitive reactance XC or the inductive
reactance XL, whichever is appropriate.
21. When only a resistor is connected across the terminals of an
ac generator (112 V) that has a fixed frequency, there is a current of
0.500 A in the resistor. When only an inductor is connected across the
terminals of this same generator, there is a current of 0.400 A in the
inductor. When both the resistor and the inductor are connected in
series between the terminals of this generator, what are (a) the impe-
dance of the series combination and (b) the phase angle between the
current and the voltage of the generator?
22. A 2700- resistor and a 1.1-F capacitor are connected in
series across a generator (60.0 Hz, 120 V). Determine the power delivered
to the circuit.
23. Suppose that the inductance is zero (L 0 H) in the series RCL
circuit shown in Figure 23.10. The rms voltages across the generator and
the resistor are 45 and 24 V, respectively. What is the rms voltage across
the capacitor?
* 24. Part a of the drawing shows a resistor and a charged capacitor
wired in series. When the switch is closed, the capacitor discharges as
charge moves from one plate to the other. Part b shows the amount q of
charge remaining on each plate of the capacitor as a function of time.
In part c of the drawing, the switch has been removed and an ac generator
has been inserted into the circuit. The circuit elements in the drawing
have the following values: R 18 , Vrms 24 V for the generator, and
f 380 Hz for the generator. The time constant for the circuit in part a is
3.0 104 s. What is the rms current in the circuit in part c?
R C
q R C
+
+
Switch
t
(a) (b) (c)
* 25. ssm A circuit consists of an 85- resistor in series with a
4.0-F capacitor, and the two are connected between the terminals
of an ac generator. The voltage of the generator is fixed. At what fre-
quency is the current in the circuit one-half the value that exists when the
frequency is very large?
 Additional Problems 737

* 26. In one measurement of the bodys bioelectric impedance,
values of Z 4.50 10 2 and 9.80 are obtained for decide whether C2 is added in series or in parallel with C1.
the total impedance and the phase angle, respectively. These values
assume that the bodys resistance R is in series with its capacitance C and
that there is no inductance L. Determine the bodys resistance and
capacitive reactance.
* 27. mmh A series RCL circuit contains only a capacitor (C 6.60 F ),
an inductor (L 7.20 mH), and a generator ( peak voltage 32.0 V,
frequency 1.50 10 3 Hz). When t 0 s, the instantaneous value of
the voltage is zero, and it rises to a maximum one-quarter of a period
later. (a) Find the instantaneous value of the voltage across the capacitor/
inductor combination when t 1.20 104 s. (b) What is the
instantaneous value of the current when t 1.20 104 s? (Hint:
The instantaneous values of the voltage and current are, respectively, the
vertical components of the voltage and current phasors.)
* 28. An 84.0-mH inductor and a 5.80-F capacitor are connected in
series with a generator whose frequency is 375 Hz. The rms voltage across
the capacitor is 2.20 V. Determine the rms voltage across the inductor.
** 29. A generator is connected to a resistor and a 0.032-H inductor in
series. The rms voltage across the generator is 8.0 V. When the generator
frequency is set to 130 Hz, the rms voltage across the inductor is 2.6 V.
Determine the resistance of the resistor in this circuit.
Section 23.4 Resonance in Electric Circuits
30. A tank circuit in a radio transmitter is a series RCL circuit connected
to an antenna. The antenna broadcasts radio signals at the resonant
frequency of the tank circuit. Suppose that a certain tank circuit in a
shortwave radio transmitter has a fixed capacitance of 1.8 1011 F and
a variable inductance. If the antenna is intended to broadcast radio
signals ranging in frequency from 4.0 MHz to 9.0 MHz, find the
(a) minimum and (b) maximum inductance of the tank circuit.
31. ssm A series RCL circuit has a resonant frequency of 690 kHz.
If the value of the capacitance is 2.0 109 F, what is the value of the
inductance?
32. The power dissipated in a series RCL circuit is 65.0 W, and the
current is 0.530 A. The circuit is at resonance. Determine the voltage of
the generator.
33. ssm A 10.0- resistor, a 12.0-F capacitor, and a 17.0-mH inductor
are connected in series with a 155-V generator. (a) At what frequency
is the current a maximum? (b) What is the maximum value of the rms
current?
34. The capacitance in a series RCL circuit is C1 2.60 F, and the
corresponding resonant frequency is f01 7.30 kHz. The generator
frequency is 5.60 kHz. What is the value of the capacitance C 2 that
should be added to the circuit so that the circuit will have a resonant
frequency that matches the generator frequency? Note that you must
35. A series RCL circuit is at resonance and contains a variable resistor
that is set to 175 . The power delivered to the circuit is 2.6 W. Assuming
that the voltage remains constant, how much power is delivered when the
variable resistor is set to 562 ?
36. The resonant frequency of an RCL circuit is 1.3 kHz, and the
value of the inductance is 7.0 mH. What is the resonant frequency (in kHz)
when the value of the inductance is 1.5 mH?
* 37. A series RCL circuit has a resonant frequency of 1500 Hz. When
operating at a frequency other than 1500 Hz, the circuit has a capacitive
reactance of 5.0 and an inductive reactance of 30.0 . What are the
values of (a) L and (b) C?
* 38. In a series RCL circuit the generator is set to a frequency that is
not the resonant frequency. This nonresonant frequency is such that the
ratio of the inductive reactance to the capacitive reactance of the circuit
is observed to be 5.36. The resonant frequency is 225 Hz. What is the
frequency of the generator?
* 39. ssm Suppose that you have a number of capacitors. Each is identical
to the capacitor that is already in a series RCL circuit. How many of
these additional capacitors must be inserted in series in the circuit so the
resonant frequency triples?
* 40. A charged capacitor and an inductor are C
connected as shown in the drawing (this circuit is +
+
the same as that in Figure 23.16a). There is no
resistance in the circuit. As Section 23.4 discusses,
the electrical energy initially present in the charged
L
capacitor then oscillates back and forth between
the inductor and the capacitor. The initial charge
on the capacitor has a magnitude of q 2.90 C. The capacitance
is C 3.60 F, and the inductance is L 75.0 mH. (a) What is the
electrical energy stored initially by the charged capacitor? (b) Find the
maximum current in the inductor.
* 41. Consult Multiple-Concept Example 6 for background on how to
approach this problem. In the absence of a nearby metal object, the two
inductances (LA and L B) in a heterodyne metal detector are the same, and
the resonant frequencies of the two oscillator circuits have the same value
of 630.0 kHz. When the search coil (inductor B) is brought near a buried
metal object, a beat frequency of 7.30 kHz is heard. By what percentage
does the buried object increase the inductance of the search coil?
** 42. A 108- resistor, a 0.200-F capacitor, and a 5.42-mH inductor are
connected in series to a generator whose voltage is 26.0 V. The current
in the circuit is 0.141 A. Because of the shape of the currentfrequency
graph (see Figure 23.17), there are two possible values for the frequency
that corresponds to this current. Obtain these two values.

Additional Problems
43. ssm A capacitor is attached to a 5.00-Hz generator. The instanta-
neous current is observed to reach a maximum value at a certain time.
What is the least amount of time that passes before the instantaneous
voltage across the capacitor reaches its maximum value?
44. A circuit consists of a resistor in series with an inductor and an
ac generator that supplies a voltage of 115 V. The inductive reactance is
52.0 , and the current in the circuit is 1.75 A. Find the average power
delivered to the circuit.
45. In a series circuit, a generator (1350 Hz, 15.0 V) is connected to a
16.0- resistor, a 4.10-F capacitor, and a 5.30-mH inductor. Find the
voltage across each circuit element.
46. Review Conceptual Example 5 and Figure 23.13. Find the ratio of the
current in circuit I to the current in circuit II in the high-frequency limit
for the same generator voltage.
47. ssm At what frequency (in Hz) are the reactances of a 52-mH
inductor and a 76-F capacitor equal?
 738 Chapter 23 Alternating Current Circuits

48. The resistor in a series RCL circuit has a resistance of 92 , * 51. ssm A series RCL circuit contains a 5.10-F capacitor and a
while the voltage of the generator is 3.0 V. At resonance, what is the generator whose voltage is 11.0 V. At a resonant frequency of 1.30 kHz
average power delivered to the circuit? the power delivered to the circuit is 25.0 W. Find the values of (a) the
49. Two ac generators supply the same voltage. However, the first inductance and (b) the resistance. (c) Calculate the power factor when
generator has a frequency of 1.5 kHz, and the second has a frequency of the generator frequency is 2.31 kHz.
6.0 kHz. When an inductor is connected across the terminals of the first ** 52. When a resistor is connected by itself to an ac generator, the
generator, the current delivered is 0.30 A. How much current is delivered average power delivered to the resistor is 1.000 W. When a capacitor
when this inductor is connected across the terminals of the second is added in series with the resistor, the power delivered is 0.500 W.
generator? When an inductor is added in series with the resistor (without the
* 50. A series circuit contains only a resistor and an inductor. The capacitor), the power delivered is 0.250 W. Determine the power
voltage V of the generator is fixed. If R 16 and L 4.0 mH, find delivered when both the capacitor and the inductor are added in series
the frequency at which the current is one-half its value at zero frequency. with the resistor.