Inductive Reactance is a type of Reactance that occurs in circuits with inductors. It is generated when the rate of change of current through an inductor exceeds the change of voltage across it.
Have you ever wondered what the term “inductive reactance” means? Have you ever wondered how inductors are used to block current in an AC motor? Inductive Reactance is a fundamental property of an inductor if you want to learn how Inductive Reactance works and how it’s used in electric motors and other electric and electronic circuits.
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What Does Inductive Reactance Mean?
Inductive Reactance is the opposition of inductors to the flow of alternating currents. Cool, isn’t it? This means that if you connect a wire through an inductor to an AC power source, you’ll get a certain amount of energy wasted each second in exchange for some other things.

Let’s dig deep inside the topic.
The article ‘What Is Inductive Reactance?’ will help you understand the working principle of Inductive Reactance and its application in different electrical circuits.
Inductive Reactance helps an inductor to changes in current flow through it. Inductive Reactance results from current in a conductor when a varying magnetic field exists. It keeps the current steady to make the magnetic field change at zero frequency.
In other words, it is the ratio of the voltage to current in an alternating current (AC) circuit. Where Do We Use Inductive Reactance? We use inductive Reactance with an inductor and one or more voltage sources, such as AC power transformers. Inductive Reactance Working Principle: Let’s look at the principles of how inductive Reactance works in an alternating current (AC) circuit.
Inductive Reactance Use
We use Inductive Reactance in various applications, from simple circuits with a solenoid valve and a DC motor to AC motors and power transformers to LCD panels and Digital Signal processing chips. Here I have just outlined some of the applications in which Inductive Reactance is used.
Inductive Reactance Formula
Inductive Reactance is an inductor’s opposition to changes in current flow and voltage. It is measured in ohms and represented by the symbol X.
Inductive Reactance formula X = 2πfL
Inductive Reactance XL equals 1/(2xπxf) where f is the frequency; it varies with frequency. The higher the frequency, the greater the inductive Reactance. The inductors X value indicates the amount of current that will flow at a given value of applied voltage and a given frequency value. You can find more about inductive Reactance in our inductive reactance calculator.
Conclusion
The Inductive Reactance is a property of a circuit in which an increase in current through the circuit causes the voltage across it to decrease. The opposite of this phenomenon is called conductive Reactance.