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Power factor (PF)

Power factor (PF) is the ratio of real power (P) to apparent power (S).

PF is provided as a number between -1 and 1 or as a percentage from -100% to 100%, where the sign is determined by the convention.

A purely resistive load has no reactive components, so its power factor is 1 (PF = 1, or unity power factor). Inductive or capacitive loads introduce a reactive power (Q) component to the circuit which causes the PF to become closer to zero.

True PF

True power factor includes harmonic content.

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