Fundamentals of Alternating Current 43

load is converting all the power consumed into real work. However, power factor
of 0.0 indicates that the load is not producing any real work. In general, the power
factor of a load will be between 0.0 and 1.0.
Because only the resistive portion of an AC circuit dissipates power, we are
interested in the resistive part of the impedance. The ratio of the circuit resistance
to the amplitude of the circuit impedance is called power factor. This is expressed
mathematically as

S
Q

θ
P
(a)

Z
X

θ
R
(b)

Figure 12-26 (a) Power triangle. (b) Impedance triangle.

R
Power factor = (12.43)
Z

According to Equation (12.28), the impedance of an AC circuit is resistive ( Z

= R). Therefore, the power factor is 1. When the impedance is reactive (Z = jX),
the power factor is zero. In general, the power factor is related to the phase angle
through the impedance diagram (Figure 12-26). This is expressed as

Power factor = cos (θ ) = R/ Z

12.9.3 Leading and Lagging Power Factor

A load in which the current lags the applied voltage is said to have a lagging
power factor. However, a load in which the current leads the applied voltage is
said to have a leading power factor. The current in an inductive load will lag the