🔍 Key Concepts

• AC phase relationships between voltage and current • Meaning of leading vs lagging power factor • How current and voltage waveforms line up on a sine wave/time graph

💭 Think About

• Sketch or imagine two sine waves on the same time axis: one for voltage and one for current. Which one reaches its peak first in time in this question? • In power systems, we usually describe the power factor of the load by comparing current to voltage. When current peaks earlier than voltage, how do we describe the current relative to the voltage? • Think about inductive vs capacitive loads. For which type does current peak before voltage, and what word (leading or lagging) is associated with that condition?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear which quantity is the reference: we typically describe current’s phase angle relative to voltage. • Confirm whether "leading" or "lagging" describes a waveform that reaches its peak earlier in time on the horizontal axis. • Eliminate the choice that would only apply when the two sine waves peak at exactly the same time.