Uploaded February 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Power factor is the ratio of the power used by the load to do work (real power) to the apparent power in the circuit (Vrms*Irms). It is an important consideration in circuits, especially higher power circuits because if the power factor is low, the system will need to carry much more current than can actually do useful work. There are two aspects to power factor, one is the displacement factor that is caused by reactive components (inductors and capacitors) in the circuit and the other is the distortion factor caused by non-linear components (e.g., diodes and switches) in the system. This video discusses only the displacement factor.
David Williams
elen.ca
Power factor is the ratio of the power used by the load to do work (real power) to the apparent power in the circuit (Vrms*Irms). It is an important consideration in circuits, especially higher power circuits because if the power factor is low, the system will need to carry much more current than can actually do useful work. There are two aspects to power factor, one is the displacement factor that is caused by reactive components (inductors and capacitors) in the circuit and the other is the distortion factor caused by non-linear components (e.g., diodes and switches) in the system. This video discusses only the displacement factor.
David Williams
elen.ca
