Enter the inductive reactance (XL), capacitive reactance (XC), and resistance (R). The calculator will evaluate and display the phase angle in degrees or radians.
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Phase Angle Formula
The following equation can be used to calculate the phase angle between voltage and current in a series RLC circuit (with series RL and RC circuits as special cases).
A = atan((XL-XC)/R)
- Where A is the phase angle
- XL is the inductive reactance
- XC is the capacitive reactance
- R is the resistance
To calculate a phase angle, take the inverse tangent (arctangent) of (XL − XC) divided by R.
Phase Angle Definition
A phase angle is the amount by which one sinusoidal waveform (such as voltage) leads or lags another (such as current) in an AC circuit. This term is used widely in AC circuit analysis and signal processing.
Phase Angle Example
How to calculate a phase angle?
The following example problem outlines the necessary steps in calculating the phase angle of an electrical circuit.
The first step is to determine the inductive reactance through measurement or calculation.
For this example, the inductive reactance is found to be 50 ohms.
Next, determine the capacitive reactance of the same circuit.
In this case, the capacitive reactance is found to be 25 ohms.
Next, determine the total resistance of the circuit.
For this problem, the total resistance is 10 ohms.
Finally, calculate the phase angle using the formula above:
A = tan^-1((XL-XC)/R)
A = tan^-1((50-25)/10)
A = 68.20 degrees.
FAQ
A phase angle is the phase difference between voltage and current (or between two waveforms) in an AC circuit, expressed in degrees or radians.
