When the applied frequency is increased in a circuit containing an inductor and a capacitor, what happens to inductive reactance?

Inductive reactance is a property of an inductor that describes its opposition to alternating current (AC) based on the frequency of the applied voltage. The formula for inductive reactance is given by XL = 2πfL, where XL is the inductive reactance, f is the frequency, and L is the inductance.

As the frequency (f) increases, the inductive reactance (XL) also increases proportionally. This relationship highlights that the higher the frequency applied to an inductor, the greater the opposition it provides to the current, resulting in increased inductive reactance.

This behavior is crucial in AC circuit analysis, particularly in resonant circuits, where it is essential to understand how the reactance changes with varying frequencies to predict circuit behavior accurately. The other options don’t align with this principle, as they suggest scenarios that do not occur with rising frequency in inductive circuits.