Red Seal Electrician Practice
AC theoryQuestion 1150 of 1506

A load has R = 24 ohms in series with XL = 32 ohms on 120 V. Which part of the load turns power into heat?

  1. Only the 32 ohms of reactance
  2. Only the 24 ohms of resistance
  3. Both equally
  4. Neither, the power is all reactive
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Correct answer: Only the 24 ohms of resistance

The reactance absorbs and returns power. Only the resistive part dissipates it. Here P = I squared x R = 3 A squared x 24 ohms = 216 W.

Source: Lessons in Electric Circuits II: AC (Kuphaldt), 11.1: Power in Resistive and Reactive AC circuits

Practice ac theory

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026