Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Opposition to the flow of alternating current caused by the inductance and capacitance in a circuit rather than by resistance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In electricity, the apparent resistance of an alternating-current circuit due to self-induction, which consumes no power; the ratio of the wattless component of the alternating electromotive force divided by the current. See impedance.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Elec.) The influence of a coil of wire upon an alternating current passing through it, tending to choke or diminish the current, or the similar influence of a condenser; inductive resistance. Reactance is measured in ohms. The reactance of a circuit is equal to the component of the impressed electro-motive force at right angles to the current divided by the current, that is, the component of the impedance due to the self-inductance or capacity of the circuit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun physics The opposition to the change in flow of current in an alternating current circuit, due to inductance and capacitance; the imaginary part of the impedance.
  • noun psychology An emotional reaction in direct contradiction to rules or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun opposition to the flow of electric current resulting from inductance and capacitance (rather than resistance)

Etymologies

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Examples

  • To distinguish the two kinds of reactance, that due to the capacity is called _capacity reactance_ and that due to inductance is called _inductive reactance_.

    Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. George Patterson 1910

  • According to a field of study called reactance theory, writes Dr. Cialdini, Whenever free choice is limited or threatened, the need to retain our freedoms makes us desire them as well as the goods and services associated with them significantly more than previously.

    Life Is a Series of Presentations Tony Jeary with Kim Dower 2004

  • According to a field of study called reactance theory, writes Dr. Cialdini, Whenever free choice is limited or threatened, the need to retain our freedoms makes us desire them as well as the goods and services associated with them significantly more than previously.

    Life Is a Series of Presentations Tony Jeary with Kim Dower 2004

  • According to a field of study called reactance theory, writes Dr. Cialdini, Whenever free choice is limited or threatened, the need to retain our freedoms makes us desire them as well as the goods and services associated with them significantly more than previously.

    Life Is a Series of Presentations Tony Jeary with Kim Dower 2004

  • According to a field of study called reactance theory, writes Dr. Cialdini, Whenever free choice is limited or threatened, the need to retain our freedoms makes us desire them as well as the goods and services associated with them significantly more than previously.

    Life Is a Series of Presentations Tony Jeary with Kim Dower 2004

  • According to a field of study called reactance theory, writes Dr. Cialdini, Whenever free choice is limited or threatened, the need to retain our freedoms makes us desire them as well as the goods and services associated with them significantly more than previously.

    Life Is a Series of Presentations Tony Jeary with Kim Dower 2004

  • The degree in which any current is opposed by inductance is termed the reactance of that inductance.

    Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. George Patterson 1910

  • These produce an effect known as reactance, which changes as the frequency changes.

    CR4 - Recent Forum Threads and Blog Entries Guest 2010

  • 'presence of a group identity', 'reactance' and 'systematic processing'.

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2010

  • 'presence of a group identity', 'reactance' and 'systematic processing'.

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2010

  • The reason behind this idea has to do with the psychology of “reactance”: Essentially, when we think something is limited to us, we tend to want it more.

    Why You Should Try to Be a Little More Scarce By 2019

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  • (Psychology) "Reactance is an emotional reaction in direct contradiction to rules or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. It can occur when someone is heavily pressured to accept a certain view or attitude. Reactance can cause the person to adopt or strengthen a view or attitude that is contrary to what was intended and also increases resistance to persuasion." wikipedia

    February 17, 2011