Question 2
A 300µF capacitor is connected in series with a 50 Ω resistor. The combination is
connected across a 240V, 50Hz mains supply. Calculate the:
(i) capacitive reactance of the circuit;
(ii) current in the circuit;
(iii) power factor.
This question tested that candidates’ understanding of a simple a/c circuit including
one reactive element, in this case, a capacitor.
The expected answers were:
Majority of the candidates that responded to this question correctly computed capacitive reactance; but a few of them could not compute impedance. However, no Candidate was able to determine power factor, which in this case is “leading” because the circuit is capacitive.