reactance

[ ree-ak-tuh ns ]

/ riˈæk təns /

noun

Electricity. the opposition of inductance and capacitance to alternating current, expressed in ohms: equal to the product of the sine of the angular phase difference between current and voltage and the ratio of the effective voltage to the effective current. Symbol: XCompare capacitive reactance, inductive reactance.

Acoustics. acoustic reactance.

Words nearby reactance

reach rod, reach-me-down, reaching jib, reacquire, react, reactance, reactant, reaction, reaction chamber, reaction engine, reaction formation

Origin of reactance

First recorded in 1890–95; react + -ance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for reactance

Such a response, known in psychology as reactance, generally is short-lived.
Could Graphic New Anti Smoking Ads Do More Harm?|Kent Sepkowitz|March 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Impedance, however, does not equal the sum of resistance and reactance.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
The degree to which the current is opposed by the capacity is the reactance of that capacity for that frequency.
Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1|Kempster Miller
The light obtainable through a reactance is not of the best quality and reactances are not much used.
Motion Picture Operation, Stage Electrics and Illusions|Henry C. Horstmann

Reactance is the effect of self-induction in hindering the flow of current.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
Find the reactance of a choke coil having a resistance of 10 ohms, when its impedance is 50 ohms.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower

British Dictionary definitions for reactance

reactance

/ (rɪˈæktəns) /

noun

the opposition to the flow of alternating current by the capacitance or inductance of an electrical circuit; the imaginary part of the impedance Z, Z = R + i X, where R is the resistance, i = √–1, and X is the reactance. It is expressed in ohmsCompare resistance (def. 3)

the opposition to the flow of an acoustic or mechanical vibration, usually due to inertia or stiffness. It is the magnitude of the imaginary part of the acoustic or mechanical impedance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012