As the ratio between the capacitive reactance and resistance in an AC circuit increases, what happens to the phase angle?

In an AC circuit, the relationship between capacitive reactance, resistance, and phase angle is defined by the impedance of the circuit. When the ratio of capacitive reactance to resistance increases, it indicates that the influence of the capacitive reactance is becoming more significant compared to the resistance.

As this ratio increases, the circuit behaves more like a purely capacitive circuit. In such cases, the phase angle, which is defined as the angle by which the voltage leads the current in a capacitive circuit, tends to increase in magnitude. This means that the current lags further behind the voltage, leading to a larger phase angle.

In practical terms, this behavior can be visualized using a right triangle in the impedance vector diagram, where the impedance is represented as the hypotenuse. As the capacitive reactance becomes larger relative to resistance, the angle formed increases because the opposite side (capacitive reactance) grows larger while the adjacent side (resistance) remains relatively constant.

Consequently, the increase in the ratio of capacitive reactance to resistance results in a larger phase angle, making the understanding of this relationship crucial for analyzing AC circuits effectively.