In order to maximize the rate at which energy is supplied to a resistive load, the power factor of an RLC circuit should be as close as possible to:
A)0
B)0.5
C)1
D)infinity
E)cannot tell without knowing R, L, C, and the driving frequency

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The power factor is defined as the cosine of the phase angle between the voltage and current waveforms in an AC circuit. A power factor of 1 (cosine of 0 degrees) indicates that the voltage and current are in phase, which means that all of the energy being supplied to the circuit is being delivered to the load. In an RLC circuit, where the load is resistive, a power factor of 1 means that the circuit is operating at maximum efficiency, with all of the energy being delivered to the load and none being lost due to reactive components. Therefore, the best choice in this case is C.

In Order to Maximize the Rate at Which Energy Is