Resonance Circuits (Series and Parallel)

Dominic Arvin C. Magadia

Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering,
Architecture and Fine Arts
Abstract

I. INTRODUCTION
The concept of resonance applies in several
areas of science and engineering. Resonance occurs
in any system that has a complex conjugate pair of
poles; it is the cause of oscillations of stored energy
from one form to another. It is the phenomenon that
allows frequency discrimination in communication
networks. Resonance occurs in any circuit that has at
least one inductor and one capacitor.[1] A network is
said to be in resonance or resonant when the voltage
and current of the network input terminals are in
phase and the power factor is unity.
Resonance in AC circuits implies a distinct
frequency determined by the values of the resistance,
capacitance and inductance. Electrical resonance
occurs in an AC circuit when the two reactances, the
inductive and the capacitive reactance, which are
opposite and equal cancel each other out and the
point on the graph at which the happens is where the
two reactance curves cross each other. [2] For a given
value of L and C, there is only one frequency at
which XL equals XC. This frequency is called the
resonant frequency. [2]
A parallel resonance circuit is similar with a
series resonance circuit. Of the two circuits have two
reactive components, both are influenced by
variations in the supplied frequency and both have a
resonant frequency wherein the two reactances cancel
out each other. However, in parallel resonant circuit,
current flowing through each parallel branch
influences the circuit.
The series resonant circuit is characterized
by minimum impedance at resonance, whereas the
parallel resonant circuit produces maximum resonant
impedance.
Any passive electric circuit will resonate if it
has an inductor and a capacitor. The impedance or the
admittance is completely real when this condition
exists.
Resonant circuits, series or parallel, are used
for constructing different types of filters, as their

transfer functions can be highly frequency selective.

They are used in many applications such as selecting
the desired stations in radio and television receivers.
The study aims to provide a better
understanding of the topic and to gain knowledge
regarding the practical applications of the said topic.
Its goals includes being able to solve resonance
circuit problems, being able to devise own problems
and provide adequate solution, and develop ability to
simulate such problems. It would also improve the
skills of the researcher regarding the operation of
resonant circuits.
The study focused mainly on series and
parallel resonant circuits and the different
applications wherein such circuits could be of use.
This study will tackle the basics of resonant
circuits from the terminologies involved, examples of
circuits and how they are solved and the applications
of resonant circuits in everyday life.
This study may benefit the students or other
researchers who find interest in the same topic for it
will be an addition to their knowledge which they can
use in conduct of a similar study.
It is beneficial to the researcher for this
study will lead to the gain of greater knowledge on
the said topic and learn extensive applications on this
field.
Definition of Terms
Capacitive Reactance it is an opposition to the
change of voltage across an element and is denoted
by the symbol XC and is measured in ohms.
Impedance it is the ratio of the phasor voltage V to
the phasor current I, measured in ohms.
Inductive Reactance it is an opposition to the
change of current across an element and is denoted
by the symbol XL and is measured in ohms.

Quality Factor it relates the maximum or peak

energy stored to the energy dissipated in the circuit
per cycle of oscillation.
Resonance it occurs in an electric circuit at a
particular resonant frequency when the impedance
between the input and output of the circuit is at a
minimum (or when the transfer function is at a
maximum).
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Impedance is the total opposition to current
flow in an AC circuit. Impedance is the opposition to
current flow in an AC circuit and is measured in
ohms. There is no inductive or capacitive reactance in
a DC circuit. However, in an AC circuit there is
resistance, inductive and capacitive reactance. All of
these oppose current flow and the combined
opposition to current flow is called impedance.
It is important to remember that any circuit
can be reduced to a resistance and either a single
inductive or capacitive reactance.
A circuit cannot be inductive and capacitive
at the same time. The effect of inductive reactance on
current is to cause the current to lag the voltage. The
effect of capacitive reactance is to cause the current
to lead the voltage. Both of these effects are opposite.
Therefore, the circuit will either be capacitive or
inductive, but not both.
Complicated circuits with lots of resistors,
capacitors and inductors can be reduced to a single
resistance and a single reactance, either capacitive or
inductive.
WHEN XL= XC
When a circuit contains exactly the same
amount of inductive and capacitive reactance, the net
reactance is zero and the circuit is resistive.
So if a circuit contains 100 ohms of
resistance in series (or parallel) with 200 ohms of
inductive reactance and 200 ohms of capacitive
reactance, the impedance of the circuit is 100j0 or
simply 100 ohms.
Resonance In Electric Circuits:
Any passive electric circuit will resonate if it
has an inductor and capacitor Resonance is
characterized by the input voltage and current being
in phase. The impedance (or admittance) is
completely real when this condition exists. [3]
Series Resonance Frequency

where: r is in Hertz, L is in Henries and C is in

Farads.
Electrical resonance occurs in an AC circuit
when the two reactances which are opposite and
equal cancel each other out as XL = XC and the point
on the graph at which this happens is where the two
reactance curves cross each other. In a series resonant
circuit, the resonant frequency, r point can be
calculated as follows.

We can see then that at resonance, the two

reactances cancel each other out thereby making a
series LC combination act as a short circuit with the
only opposition to current flow in a series resonance
circuit being the resistance, R. In complex form, the
resonant frequency is the frequency at which the total
impedance of a series RLC circuit becomes
purely real, that is no imaginary impedances exist.
This is because at resonance they are cancelled out.
So the total impedance of the series circuit becomes
just the value of the resistance and therefore: Z = R.
Then at resonance the impedance of the
series circuit is at its minimum value and equal only
to the resistance, R of the circuit. The circuit
impedance at resonance is called the dynamic
impedance of the circuit and depending upon the
frequency, XC (typically at
high
frequencies)
or XL (typically at low frequencies) will dominate
either side of resonance as shown below.

Impedance in a Series Resonance Circuit

Note that when the capacitive reactance

dominates the circuit the impedance curve has a
hyperbolic shape to itself, but when the inductive
reactance dominates the circuit the curve is nonsymmetrical due to the linear response of XL. You
may also note that if the circuit impedance is at its
minimum at resonance then consequently, the
circuit admittance must be at its maximum and one of
the characteristics of a series resonance circuit is that
admittance is very high. But this can be a bad thing
because a very low value of resistance at resonance
means that the resulting current flowing through the
circuit may be dangerously high.
We recall from the previous tutorial about
series RLC circuits that the voltage across a series
combination is the phasor sum of VR, VL and VC.
Then if at resonance the two reactances are equal and
cancelling,
the
two
voltages
representing VL and VC must also be opposite and
equal in value thereby cancelling each other out
because with pure components the phasor voltages
are drawn at +90o and -90o respectively.
Then in a series resonance circuit as VL = VC the resulting reactive voltages are zero and all the
supply voltage is dropped across the resistor.
Therefore, VR = Vsupply and it is for this reason that
series resonance circuits are known as voltage
resonance circuits, (as opposed to parallel resonance
circuits which are current resonance circuits). [4]
A parallel resonant circuit stores the circuit
energy in the magnetic field of the inductor and the
electric field of the capacitor. This energy is
constantly being transferred back and forth between
the inductor and the capacitor which results in zero
current and energy being drawn from the supply. This
is because the corresponding instantaneous values
of IL and IC will always be equal and opposite and
therefore the current drawn from the supply is the

vector addition of these two currents and the current

flowing in IR.
In the solution of AC parallel resonance
circuits we know that the supply voltage is common
for all branches, so this can be taken as our reference
vector. Each parallel branch must be treated
separately as with series circuits so that the total
supply current taken by the parallel circuit is the
vector addition of the individual branch currents.
Then there are two methods available to us in the
analysis of parallel resonance circuits. We can
calculate the current in each branch and then add
together or calculate the admittance of each branch to
find the total current.
We know from the previous series resonance
tutorial that resonance takes place when VL = -VC and
this situation occurs when the two reactances are
equal, XL = XC. The admittance of a parallel circuit is
given as:

Resonance occurs when XL = XC and the imaginary

parts of Y become zero. Then:

Notice that at resonance the parallel circuit

produces the same equation as for the series

resonance circuit. Therefore, it makes no difference if

the inductor or capacitor are connected in parallel or
series. Also at resonance the parallel LC tank circuit
acts like an open circuit with the circuit current being
determined by the resistor, R only. So the total
impedance of a parallel resonance circuit at
resonance becomes just the value of the resistance in
the circuit and Z = R as shown.

Sample Problems
1. A coil having a resistance of 10 ohm and an
inductance of 75mH is connected in series with a
40F capacitor across a 200V a.c. supply. Determine
(a) at what frequency resonance occurs, and (b) the
current flowing at resonance.
(a) Resonant Frequency,

f=

2 LC

1
2 [(75 103 )(75 106 )]

f =91.9 Hz
At resonance, the impedance of the parallel
circuit is at its maximum value and equal to the
resistance of the circuit. Also at resonance, as the
impedance of the circuit is now that of resistance
only, the total circuit current, I will be in-phase
with the supply voltage, VS.
We can change the circuits frequency
response by changing the value of this resistance.
Changing the value of R affects the amount of current
that flows through the circuit at resonance, if
both L and Cremain constant. Then the impedance of
the circuit at resonance Z = RMAX is called the
dynamic impedance of the circuit. [5]
III. METHODOLOGY
The study employed adequate data gathering
procedure to acquire necessary information that will
guide the researcher on the satisfaction of the
completion of the study.
The researcher followed methods and
reviewed other related studies in order to acquire
sufficient data and information. These methods
include library research and internet research.
Library research is the most conventional
type of research and significant resources were
acquired in the said manner of research. Additional
data and references were garnered with the use of
internet. The internet offers a wide variety of
references which helped in the development of the
study.
IV. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

(b) Current at Resonance

V 200
I= =
=20 A
R 10

2. An RLC series circuit is comprised of a coil of

inductance 10mH and resistance 8 ohm and a
variable capacitor C. The supply frequency is 1kHz.
Determine the value of capacitor C for series
resonance.
At resonance, rL = 1 / (rC), from which,
capacitance, C = 1 / (2rL)

C=

1
=2.53 F
(2 1000) (10 103)
2

3. A coil of inductance 5mH and resistance 10_ is

connected in parallel with a 250nF capacitor across a
50V variable frequency supply. Determine (a) the
resonant frequency, (b) the dynamic resistance, (c)
the current at resonance, and (d) the circuit Q-factor
at resonance.
(a) Resonance Frequency

f=

1
1 R2

2 LC L2

1
1
102

2 (5 103 )(250 109 ) (5 103 )2

1
(796 106)

1. The resonant or tuner circuit of an AM radio is

portrayed in the figure below. Given that L = 1 H,
what must be the range of C to have the resonant
frequency adjustable from one end of the AM band to
another? [sadiku]

4490 Hz
(b) Dynamic Resistance

L
5 103
R D=
=
=2000
CR (250 109 )(10)
(c) Current at Resonance

I R=

V
50
=
=25 mA
R D 20000

(d) Q-factor at Resonance

r L ( 2 4490 ) ( 5 10 )
=
=14.1
R
10
3

QR =

Solution:
The frequency range for AM broadcasting is
540 to 1600 kHz.

C=
4. In the parallel network below, inductance,
L=100mH and capacitance, C=40F. Determine the
resonant frequency for the network if (a) RL=0 and
(b) RL = 30

1
4 f L
2 2
0

For the high end of the AM band, f0 = 1600 kHz

C1 =

When RL = 0,

f=

2 LC

When RL = 30

1
=79.6 Hz
2 [(100 103 )(40 106 )]

f=

1
=9.9 nF
6
6
4 (1600 )(10 10 )
2

1
2

1
R2
2
LC L

1
1
30 2

2 [(100 103 )(40 106)] (100 103)2

160000
2
= 63.7 Hz
Design Problems:

For the low end of the AM band, f0 = 540 kHz

C2 =

1
=86.9 nF
6
6
4 (540 )(10 10 )
2

C must be an adjustable capacitor varying from 9.9nF

to 86.9 nF.
2. For an FM radio receiver, the incoming wave is in
the frequency range from 88 to 108 MHz. The tuner
circuit is a parallel RLC circuit with a 4-H coil.
Calculate the range of the variable capacitor
necessary to cover the entire band.
Solution:

C=

1
4 f L
2 2
0

For the high end of the FM band, f0 = 108 MHz

108 10

2(4 106 )
4 2
1
C 1=

4. For the circuit shown below, find 0, B, and Q, as

seen by the voltage across the inductor.

For the low end of the FM band, f0 = 88 kHz

6

88 10

2(4 106 )
2
4
1
C 2=

The range of the variable capacitor is from 0.543 pF

to 0.818 pF.
3. A coil of resistance 3 ohms and inductance 100 mH
is connected in series with another capacitor of 50 pF,
a resistor of 6 ohms and a signal generator that gives
110 V rms at all frequencies. Calculate 0, Q and B at
resonance of the resultant series RLC circuit.

Convert the voltage source to a current source as

shown below.

R = 30 || 50 = (30 * 50 ) / 80 = 18.75 k
Thus, it becomes a parallel resonant circuit.

0 =

1
1
=
3
LC (10 10 )(50 106)

= 447.21 rad/s

B=

1
1
=
3
RC (18.75 10 )(50 106 )

= 1.067 rad/s

Q=

0 447.21
=
=419.13
B
1.067

R = 6 +3 = 9

0 =

1
1
=
3
LC (100 10 )(50 1012 )

= 447.21 krad/s

Q=

0 L (100 103 )(447.21 103 )

=
=4969
R
9

B=

0 ( 447.21 103)
=
=90rad / s
Q
4969

Applications:
Series and parallel resonant circuits come in
numerous numbers of configurations and these
configurations have specific uses in many fields in
science and engineering.
One application of a series LC circuit is the
IF Trap in a superheterodyne radio receiver. The
standard domestic AM/FM radio is such a receiver.
This type of radio receiver applies a vast amount of
gain to the signal picked up at the aerial in an
intermediate frequency or IF stage. The intermediate

frequency is chosen to lie outside the reception band

of the radio. However, if a signal at this IF frequency
is picked up at the aerial it can interfere severely with
reception of the wanted signal. Therefore an IF Trap
is included in the form of a series LC circuit which
has a resonant frequency equal to the intermediate
frequency. The winding of the aerial coil forms the
inductance of the series circuit and its resonance with
a selected capacitor value gives a near zero
impedance at the IF. Therefore any signal at this
frequency appearing at the aerial is shunted to ground
and does not develop any detectable voltage at the
input of the RF amplifier. [3]
Another example of an application of a
series resonant circuit is in the development of active
filters.
A new circuit configuration of active AC
harmonic filter, which is composed of high frequency
inverters and series resonant LC circuit tuned at
fundamental frequency, is proposed to solve
harmonic distortion problems on the distribution
system with lower cost and higher efficiency. The
operational experience of the active filter, consisting
of current source inverters and resonant coupling
circuit, in 6.6 kV system is presented.
It is necessary to develop and install a lowcost active filter for the suppression of the dominant
harmonic components along the distribution system.
The resonant coupling circuit can offer great
advantages to the active filter as follows: [6]
1.
2.
3.

Reduction of inverter rating cost

Higher frequency
Restriction of inverter fault current

An example of an application of a parallel

resonant circuit may be found in the radio
frequencies and radio waves. Parallel resonant circuit
produces very high impedance at its resonant
frequency. Such example is given below.
Let's say our resonant circuit is tuned to 1
MHz. An AM radio station on 1.5 MHz will cause a
radio wave to pass by the antenna and induce a
voltage into it. This voltage will cause a current to
flow down the antenna cable and through the tuned
circuit to earth. At 1.5 MHz the inductor and
capacitor are not resonant and the impedance of the
parallel circuit will be very low. E=IR or if you like
E=IZ (Z=impedance). The voltage created across the
LC parallel circuit will be very low, as its impedance
is very low. The same story will go for all other radio
signals that induce a voltage into the antenna
EXCEPT 1Mhz. At 1MHz the LC circuit is parallel
resonant and will be very high impedance. The small
current through the parallel resonant circuit will
produce a significant voltage across it compared to

all the other radio signals. An output voltage will

appear at the output terminals of the signal that the
parallel tuned circuit is tuned to. So here we have the
basic method of selecting the desired radio signal
from the many that are present at the antenna. [3]

One use for resonance is to establish a condition of

stable frequency in circuits designed to produce AC
signals. Usually, a parallel (tank) circuit is used for
this purpose, with the capacitor and inductor directly
connected together, exchanging energy between each
other. Just as a pendulum can be used to stabilize the
frequency of a clock mechanisms oscillations, so can
a tank circuit be used to stabilize the electrical
frequency of an AC oscillator circuit. As was noted
before, the frequency set by the tank circuit is solely
dependent upon the values of L and C, and not on the
magnitudes of voltage or current present in the
oscillations:
(Figure below)

Resonant circuit serves as stable frequency source.

Another use for resonance is in applications where
the effects of greatly increased or decreased
impedance at a particular frequency are desired. A
resonant circuit can be used to block (present high
impedance toward) a frequency or range of
frequencies, thus acting as a sort of frequency filter
to strain certain frequencies out of a mix of others. In
fact, these particular circuits are called filters, and
their design constitutes a discipline of study all by
[7]
itself:

[1]

V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

VI. REFERENCES

Durbin, S.M., Kemmerly, J.E., Hayt, Jr.

W.H., Engineering Circuit Analysis, Eight
Edition, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,
2012
[2]
Fowler, R.J., Electricity: Principles &
Applications, Eight Edition, McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc., 2013
[sample = 3]
[4]
http://www.electronicstutorials.ws/accircuits/series-resonance.html
[5]
http://www.electronicstutorials.ws/accircuits/parallelresonance.html
[crkts2 = 6]
[7]
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/
alternating-current/chpt-6/applications-ofresonance/