In an AC current, if the power factor = 0.5, what is the relationship between true power and apparent power?

In an AC circuit, the power factor is a measure of how effectively the current is being converted into useful work output. It is defined as the ratio of true power to apparent power, and it can be mathematically expressed as:

Power Factor (PF) = True Power (P) / Apparent Power (S)

When the power factor is 0.5, this indicates that the true power is half of the apparent power. This can be rearranged to show that:

True Power (P) = Power Factor (PF) × Apparent Power (S)

Substituting the value of the power factor:

True Power (P) = 0.5 × Apparent Power (S)

From this relationship, it becomes clear that when the power factor is 0.5, true power is indeed half of the apparent power. Thus, the correct understanding is that true power, which represents the actual work done by the electrical system, is only a fraction of the total apparent power due to the presence of reactance in the circuit.