Extra exam question E5D12
Subelement E5, ELECTRICAL PRINCIPLES· Group E5D
What is reactive power?
- A.Power consumed in circuit Q
- B.Power consumed by an inductor’s wire resistance
- C.The power consumed in inductors and capacitors
- D.Wattless, nonproductive power (correct answer)
WhyReactive power is wattless, nonproductive power. Reactive power is often described as wattless, nonproductive power, energy that sloshes back and forth between source and reactive component without doing any actual work or being consumed, answer D. It isn't power consumed in circuit Q, isn't specifically the power lost to an inductor's wire resistance, and it isn't power genuinely "consumed" in inductors and capacitors at all, that's exactly the point, ideal reactive components don't consume real power.
Published 2026-08-28 · Last updated 2026-08-28 · Question text is verbatim from the 2024-2028 NCVEC Element 4 pool (public domain); the explanation above is original writing, see our methodology.
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