Basic Elements of AC Circuit and Phasors

The basic elements of AC circuits are resistors, capacitors, and inductors. All three of these passive components have one thing in common, they limit the flow of electrical current through a circuit but in very different ways. The response of the basic R, L, and C elements to a sinusoidal voltage and current will be examined in this chapter, with special note of how frequency will affect the opposing characteristic of each element. Phasor notation will then be introduced to establish a method of analysis that permits a direct correspondence with a number of the methods, theorems, and concepts introduced in the dc chapters.