What is the phase angle of a circuit and how can you calculate it?
If you work with alternating current (AC) circuits, you need to understand the concept of phase angle. Phase angle is the measure of how much the voltage and current waveforms are shifted from each other in time. It affects the power, impedance, and resonance of a circuit. In this article, you will learn what is the phase angle of a circuit and how can you calculate it using simple formulas and tools.
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Use an oscilloscope:To measure phase angle, you'd use an oscilloscope to compare voltage and current waveforms. The phase angle is the angular difference between these two, shown visually on screen.
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Calculating with formulas:Depending on your circuit, formulas like *phase angle = arctan((XL - XC) / R)* help calculate phase angles. You'll need component values and AC frequency to plug in and crunch numbers.