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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/eng-inductive-reactance-frequency

As AC frequency goes up, what happens to an inductor's opposition to current (its reactance)?

It increases, in proportion to frequency (XL = 2 pi f L).

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  1. It increases ✔
  2. It decreases
  3. It stays the same

Why: An inductor resists changes in current. Higher frequency means the current changes faster, so the inductor pushes back harder.

Huh, didn't know that: A practical choke can pass DC while strongly impeding high-frequency noise.

The dad joke
Why don't inductors like fast music? They resist every change.
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References

Answer: It increases. An inductor resists changes in current. Higher frequency means the current changes faster, so the inductor pushes back harder.

  1. OpenStax College Physics 2e, 23.11 Reactance, Inductive and Capacitive openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/23-11-reactance-inductive-and-capacitive
    since greater frequency means greater change in current.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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