REVIEW PROBLEMS IN SERIES AC CIRCUITS

1. The voltage applied to a coil having R = 200 Ω, L = 638 mH is represented by e = 200 sin 1000πt.
Find a corresponding expression for the current and calculate the average value of the power taken by
the coil.
[i = 0.707 sin (100πt – π/4); 50 W]

2. The coil having a resistance of 10 Ω and an inductance of 0.2 H is connected to a 100-V, 50-Hz
supply. Calculate (a) the impedance of the coil (b) the reactance of the coil (c) the current taken and
(d) the phase difference between the current and the applied voltage.
[(a) 63.5 Ω (b) 62.8 Ω (c) 1.575 A (d) 80°57’]

3. An inductive coil having a resistance of 15 Ω takes a current of 4 A when connected to a 100-V, 60

Hz supply. If the coil is connected to a 100-V, 50-Hz supply, calculate (a) the current (b) the power
(c) the power factor. Draw to scale the vector diagram for the 50-Hz conditions, showing the
component voltages.
[(a) 4.46 A (b) 298 W (c) 0.669]

4. When supplied with current at 240-V, single-phase at 50-Hz, a certain inductive coil takes 13.62 A. If
the frequency of the supply is changed to 40-Hz, the current increases to 16.12 A. Calculate the
resistance and inductance of the coil.
[17.2 Ω, 0.05 H]

5. A voltage v(t) = 141.4 sin (314t + 10°) is applied to a circuit and a steady current given by i(t) = 14.4
sin (314t – 20°) is found to low through it. Determine (a) the p.f. of the circuit and (b) the power
delivered to the circuit.
[0.866 (lag); 866 W]

6. A circuit takes a current of 8 A at 100 V, the current lagging by 30° behind the applied voltage.
Calculate the values of equivalent resistance and reactance of the circuit.
[10.81 Ω; 6.25 Ω]

7. Two inductive impedances A and B are connected in series. A has R = 5 Ω, L = 0.01 H; B has R = 3
Ω, L = 0.02 H. If a sinusoidal voltage of 230 V at 50-Hz is applied to the whole circuit, calculate (a)
the current (b) the power factor (c) the voltage drops. Draw a complete vector diagram for the circuit.
[(a) 18.6 (b) 0.648 (c) VA = 109.5 V, VB = 129.5 V]

8. A coil has an inductance 0 0.1 H and a resistance of 30 Ω at 20°C. Calculate (a) the current and (b)
the power taken from 100-V, 50-Hz mains when the temperature of the coil is 60°C, assuming the
temperature coefficient of resistance to be 0.4% per °C from a basic temperature of 20°C.
[(a) 2.13 A (b) 158.5 W]

9. A circuit consists of a pure resistance and a coil in series. The power dissipated in the resistance is
500 W and the drop across it is 100 V. The power dissipated in the coil is 100 W and the drop across
is 50 V. Find the reactance and resistance of the coil and the supply voltage.
[9.168 Ω; 4 Ω; 128.5 V]
10. A choking coil carries a current of 15 A when supplied from a 50-Hz, 230-V supply. The power in
the circuit is measured by a wattmeter and is found to be 1300 W. Estimate the phase difference
between the current and p.d. in the circuit.
[0.3768]

11. The ohmic resistance is connected in series with a coil across 230-V, 50-Hz supply. The current is 1.8
A and p.ds. across the resistance and coil are 80 V and 170 V respectively. Calculate the resistance
and inductance of the coil and the phase difference between the current and the supply voltage.
[61.1Ω, 0.229 H, 34°20’]

12. A coil takes a current of 4 A when 24-V d.c. are applied and for the same power on a 50-Hz a.c.
supply, the voltage is 40 V. Explain the reason for the difference in the applied voltage. Determine (a)
the reactance (b) the inductance (c) the angle between the applied p.d. and current (d) the power in
watts.
[(a) 8 Ω (b) 0.0255 H (c) 53°7’ (d) 96 W]

13. An inductive coil and non-inductive resistance are R ohms are connected in series across an a.c.
supply. Derive expressions for the power taken by the coil and its power factor in terms of the voltage
across the coil, the resistance and the supply respectively. If R = 12 Ω and the three voltages are in
order, 110-V, 180-V and 240-V, calculate the power and the power factor of the coil.
[546 W; 0.331]

14. Two coils are connected in series. With 2 A d.c. through the circuit, the p.d.s. across the coil are 20
and 30 V respectively. With 2 A a.c. at 40-Hz, the p.d.s. across the coils are 140 and 100 volt
respectively. If two coils in series are connected to a 230-V, 50-Hz supply, calculate (a) the current
(b) the power (c) the power factor.
[(a) 1.55 A (b) 60 W (c) 0.1684]

15. It is desired to run a bank of ten 100-W, 100-V lamps in parallel from a 230-V, 50-Hz supply by
inserting a choke coil in series with the bank of lamps. If the choke coil has a power factor of 0.2, find
its resistance, reactance and inductance.
[R = 4.144 Ω, X = 20.35 Ω, L = 0.065 H]

16. At the frequency for which ω = 796, an e.m.f. of 6 V sends a current of 100 mA through a certain
circuit. When the frequency is raised so that ω = 2866, the same voltage sends only 50 mA through
the same circuit. Of what does the circuit consists?
[R = 52 Ω, L = 0.0378 H in series]

17. A capacitor having a capacitance of 20 μF is connected in series with a non-inductive resistance of

120 Ω across a 100-V, 50-Hz supply. Calculate (a) voltage (b) the phase difference between the
current and the supply voltage (c) the power. Also draw the vector diagram
[(a) 0.501 A (b) 52.9° (c) 30.2 W]

18. A capacitor and a resistor are connected in series to an a.c. supply of 50 V and 50 Hz. The current is 2
A and the power dissipated in the circuit is 80 W. Calculate the resistance of the resistor and the
capacitance of the capacitor.
[20 Ω; 212 μF]

19. A voltage of 125 V at 50 Hz is applied to a series combination of non-inductive resistor and a lossless
capacitor of 50 μF. The current is 1.25A. Find (a) the value of the resistor (b) power drawn by the
network (c) power factor of the network. Draw the phasor diagram of the network.
 [(a) 77.3 Ω (b) 121 W (c) 0.773 (lead)]

20. A black box contains a two-element series circuit. A voltage (40 – j30) drives a current of (40 – j3) A
in the circuit. What are the values of the elements? Supply frequency is 50 Hz.
[R = 1.05 Ω; C = 4750 μF]

21. Following readings were obtained from a series circuit containing resistance and capacitance: V =
150 V; I = 2.5 A; P = 37.5 W, f = 60 Hz. Calculate (a) power factor (b) effective resistance (c)
capacitive reactance and (d) capacitance.
[(a) 0.1 (b) 6 Ω (c) 59.7 Ω (d) 44.4 μF]

22. An e.m.f. represented by e = 100 sin 100πt is impressed across a circuit consisting of 40-Ω resistor in
series with a 40-μF capacitor and a 0.25 H inductor. Determine (a) the r.m.s. value of the current (b)
the power supplied (c) the power factor.
[(a) 1.77 A (b) 125 W (c) 1.0]

23. A series circuit with a resistor of 100 Ω, capacitor of 25 μF and inductance of 0.15 H is connected
across 220-V, 60-Hz supply. Calculate (a) current (b) power and (c) power factor in the circuit.
[(a) 1.97 A; (b) 390 W; (c) 0.9 (lead)]

24. A series circuit with R = 10 Ω, L = 50 mH and C = 100 μF is supplied with 200 V/50 Hz. Find (a) the
impedance (b) current (c) power (d) power factor.
[(a) 18.94 Ω (b) 18.55 A (c) 1966 W (d) 0.53 (leading)]

25. A coil of resistance 10 Ω and inductance 0.1 H is connected in series with a 150-μF capacitor across a
200-V, 50-Hz supply. Calculate (a) the inductive reactance, (b) the capacitive reactance, (c) the
impedance (d) the current (e) the power actor (f) the voltage across the coil and the capacitor
respectively.
[(a) 31.4 Ω (b) 21.2 Ω (c) 14.3 Ω (d) 14 A (e) 0.7 lag (f) 460 V, 297 V]

26. A circuit is made up of 10 Ω resistance, 12 mH inductance and 281.5 μF capacitance in series. The
supply voltage is 100 V (constant). Calculate the value of the current when th supply frequency is (a)
50 Hz and (b) 150 Hz.
[8 A leading; 8 A lagging]

27. A coil having a resistance of 10 Ω and an inductance of 0.2 H is connected in series with a capacitor
of 50.7 μF. The circuit is connected across a 100-V, 50-Hz a.c. supply. Calculate (a) the current
flowing (b) the voltage across the capacitor (c) the voltage across the coil. Draw a vector diagram to
scale.
[(a) 10 A (b) 628 V (c) 635 V]

28. A coil is in series with a 20 μF capacitor across a 230-V, 50-Hz supply. The current taken by the
circuit is 8 A and the power consumed is 200 W. Calculate the inductance of the coil if the power
factor of the circuit is (a) leading and (b) lagging. Sketch a vector diagram for each condition and
calculate the coil power factor in each case.
[0.415 H; 0.597 H; 0.0238; 0.0166]

29. A circuit takes a current of 3 A at a power factor of 0.6 lagging when connected to a 115-V, 50-Hz
supply. Another circuit takes a current of 5 A at a power factor of 0.707 leading when connected to
the same supply. If the two circuits are connected in series across a 230-V, 50-Hz supply, calculate:
(a) current (b) the power consumed and (c) the power factor.
 [(a) 5.5 A (b) 1.188 kW (c) 0.939 lag]

30. A coil of insulated wire of resistance 8 ohms and inductance 0.03 H is connected to an a.c. supply at
240-V, 50-Hz. Calculate (a) the current, the power and power factor (b) the value of a capacitance
which, when connected in series with the above coil, causes no change in the values of current and
power taken from the supply.
[(a) 19.4 A, 3012 W, 0.65 lag (b) 168.7 μF]

31. A series circuit, having a resistance of 10 Ω, an inductance of 0.025 H and a variable capacitance is
connected to a 100-V, 25-Hz single-phase supply. Calculate the capacitance when the value of the
current is 8 A. At this value of capacitance, also calculate (a) the circuit impedance (b) the circuit
power factor and (c) the power consumed.
[556 μF (a) 1.5 Ω (b) 0.8 leading (c) 640 W]

32. When an inductive coil is connected across a 250-V, 50-Hz supply, the current is found to be 10 A
and the power absorbed 1.25 kW. Calculate the impedance, the resistance and the inductance of the
coil.
A capacitor which has a reactance twice that of the coil, is now connected in series with the coil
across the same supply. Calculate the p.d. across the capacitor.
[25 Ω; 12.5 Ω; 68.7 mH; 433 V]

33. A voltage of 200 V is applied to a series circuit consisting of a resistor, an inductor and a capacitor.
The respective voltages across these components are 170, 150 and 100 V and the current is 4 A. Find
the power factor of the coil and of the circuit.
[0.16; 0.97]

34. A pure resistance R, a choke coil and a pure capacitor of 50 μF are connected in series across a supply
of V volts, and carry a current of 1.57 A. Voltage across R is 30 V, across choke coil 50 V and across
capacitor 100 V. The voltage across the combination of R and choke coil is 60 volt. Find the supply
voltage V, the power loss in the choke, frequency of the supply and the power factor of the complete
circuit. Draw the phasor diagram.
[60.7 V; 6.5 W;0.562 lead]