Red Seal Electrician Practice
AC theoryQuestion 973 of 1506

Why do designers often prefer capacitors to inductors when either can do the job?

  1. They are purer reactive parts and pick up less noise
  2. Capacitors have higher internal resistance and so run hotter
  3. Capacitor fields spread out and pick up more noise
  4. Capacitors always cost less than any inductor
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Correct answer: They are purer reactive parts and pick up less noise

A capacitor field stays mostly between its plates, and its losses are lower than in an inductor.

Source: Lessons in Electric Circuits II: AC (Kuphaldt), 4.5: Capacitor Quirks

Practice ac theory

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026