Back to Glossary
maker
Reactance
What is reactance?
Reactance is the opposition to alternating current (AC) flow in a circuit caused by capacitors and inductors, measured in ohms. Unlike resistance which dissipates energy as heat, reactance stores and releases energy cyclically as the AC waveform changes. Capacitive reactance decreases with increasing frequency, while inductive reactance increases with frequency, making reactance frequency-dependent and crucial for AC circuit analysis and filter design.