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Physics · Ch 4 — Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Current

Resonance in Series RLC Circuit

4.7.9

Resonance in Series RLC Circuit

Electrical resonance in a series RLC circuit occurs when the frequency ωr\omega_r of the applied alternating source exactly equals the circuit's own NATURAL frequency 1/LC1/\sqrt{LC}, at which point the current in the circuit reaches its overall maximum possible value. The frequency at which this happens is called the resonant frequency,

ωr=1LCor equivalentlyfr=12πLC(4.49)\omega_r = \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{LC}} \qquad\text{or equivalently}\qquad f_r = \dfrac{1}{2\pi\sqrt{LC}} \qquad (4.49)

Since ωr=1/LC\omega_r=1/\sqrt{LC} means ωr2=1/LC\omega_r^2=1/LC, i.e. ωrL=1/(ωrC)\omega_r L=1/(\omega_r C), this is exactly the condition

XL=XC(4.50)X_L = X_C \qquad (4.50)

the SAME special-case condition already identified in section 4.7.8: resonance is achievable by varying the applied frequency until the (frequency-dependent) inductive and capacitive reactances become exactly equal. Resonance requires the circuit to contain BOTH L and C together -- only then can VLV_L and VCV_C, being 180∘180^{\circ} out of phase with each other, cancel one another exactly and leave the circuit purely resistive; a circuit with only R and L, or only R and C, therefore can never resonate at any frequency, however it is tuned.

Effects of resonance. At resonance, since XL=XCX_L=X_C, the impedance collapses to its minimum possible value, Z=R2+(XL−XC)2=R2=R(since XL=XC)Z=\sqrt{R^2+(X_L-X_C)^2}=\sqrt{R^2}=R \qquad(\text{since }X_L=X_C), and correspondingly the current reaches its maximum value,

Im=VmR(4.51)I_m = \dfrac{V_m}{R} \qquad (4.51)

limited purely by the circuit's own resistance R -- a smaller R gives a LARGER peak current and a sharper, more narrowly-peaked resonance curve (current plotted against frequency); a larger R gives a smaller peak current and a broader, less sharply-tuned curve. …

Figure 4.49Resonance curve -- current versus frequency

What this figure shows. A graph of current i against frequency shows a sharply peaked curve for a series RLC circuit, reaching its maximum exactly at the resonant frequency frf_r marked on the horizontal axis, with two overlaid curves comparing 'Small R' (a tall, narrow, sharply-peaked resonance curve) against 'Large R' (a shorter, broader, less sharply-peaked curve) at the same frf_r. The figure makes the key resonance result visually explicit: the maximum current achievable at resonance is limited purely by the circuit's resistance R -- a smaller R allows a larger peak current and produces a sharper (more frequency-selective) resonance curve, while a larger R caps the peak current …