The part of the total impedance of a circuit not due to pure resistance. It is the imaginary part of the complex impedance, Z, i.e.
where R is the resistance and j is equal to √−1. Reactance is due to the presence of capacitance or inductance in a circuit. The effect of reactance is to cause the voltage and current to become out of phase.
If an alternating voltage, given by
where ω is the angular frequency, is applied to a circuit containing capacitance the impedance of the circuit is given by
where 1/ωC is the capacitive reactance, XC, which decreases with frequency. The current leads the voltage: the phase angle is 90° in a purely capacitive circuit.
In a circuit containing inductance the impedance is given by
where ωL is the inductive reactance, XL, which increases with frequency. The current lags the voltage: the phase angle is 90° in a purely inductive circuit.