If the frequency in an RL circuit is increased, what happens to the impedance?

In an RL circuit, which consists of a resistor (R) and an inductor (L), the impedance is influenced by both the resistance and the inductive reactance. Impedance can be calculated using the formula ( Z = R + jX_L ), where ( X_L ) is the inductive reactance. The inductive reactance is given by the formula ( X_L = 2\pi f L ), where ( f ) is the frequency and ( L ) is the inductance.

As the frequency increases, the inductive reactance ( X_L ) increases proportionally because it directly depends on the frequency. Since the total impedance ( Z ) of the RL circuit is the sum of the resistance and the inductive reactance, an increase in ( X_L ) due to higher frequency means that the overall impedance ( Z ) will also increase.

Thus, when the frequency in an RL circuit is increased, the impedance increases, which confirms that the answer is indeed correct. Understanding the relationship between frequency and inductive reactance is essential in electrical engineering, particularly when analyzing AC circuits.