RC Series Impedance Calculator

From resistance R, capacitance C, and frequency f, compute the total impedance, capacitive reactance, phase angle, power factor, and cutoff frequency of an RC series circuit, with an impedance triangle.

Input

Enter resistance R, capacitance C, and frequency f to compute the total impedance and phase of an RC series circuit.

Resistance R

ohm

Enter the circuit resistance in ohms.

Capacitance C

Enter the capacitance in farads. Example: 0.0000001 is 0.1 microfarad.

Frequency f

Enter the AC source frequency in hertz.

Result

Total impedance |Z|

1,879.635494ohm

Angular frequency omega = 6,283.185307 rad/s

Capacitive reactance Xc

1,591.549431 ohm

Phase angle

-57.858092 deg

Power factor

0.532018

Cutoff frequency fc

1,591.549431 Hz

Impedance is Z = sqrt(R^2 + Xc^2), the phase angle is theta = atan(-Xc / R), and the capacitive reactance is Xc = 1 / (2 pi f C).

How it works

The total impedance is Z = sqrt(R^2 + Xc^2), where R is resistance and Xc is capacitive reactance.
The capacitive reactance is Xc = 1 / (2 pi f C). Higher frequency f or larger capacitance C gives a smaller Xc.
The phase angle is theta = atan(-Xc / R). In an RC series circuit it is negative, so the current leads the voltage.
The power factor is pf = R / Z, representing the share of the resistive component.
The cutoff frequency is fc = 1 / (2 pi R C), the corner frequency of the equivalent low-pass filter.
Enter resistance in ohms, capacitance in farads, and frequency in hertz using SI units.

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