EngiRef / Electrical Engineering Formula

Power Factor

Power Factor: Cosine of the phase angle between voltage and current. An AC Circuits formula in electrical engineering. Variables PF and φ, each with SI and…

AC Circuits

Specification

Name
Power Factor
Discipline
electrical
Category
AC Circuits
LaTeX
PF = \cos(\phi)
Description
Cosine of the phase angle between voltage and current
Conditions
Sinusoidal steady-state; φ is the V-I phase angle
Can solve for
PF, φ
Tags
power, factor, phase, cos

Variables

Variables for Power Factor
SymbolNameUnitSi Unit
PFPower Factor - -
φPhase Angle°rad

Common questions

What is the Power Factor formula?
Cosine of the phase angle between voltage and current. It sits under AC Circuits, Electrical engineering in the EngiRef reference.
What do the symbols in the Power Factor formula mean?
In Power Factor, PF is power factor; φ is phase angle in °.
When does the Power Factor formula apply?
Power Factor holds under this condition: Sinusoidal steady-state; φ is the V-I phase angle.