Past exam of the physics 2 paper of the University of Oxford / 2015 / 8

For a linear element in sinusoidal steady state, the complex impedance is the ratio of the voltage phasor to the electric current phasor, $Z=\tilde{V}/\tilde{I}$. Use the convention that the physical signal is the real part of its phasor times $e^{i\omega t}$. Then time differentiation becomes multiplication by $i\omega$.

For a resistor, Ohm's law gives $\tilde{V}=R\tilde{I}$. For a capacitor, $I=C\dot{V}$ gives $\tilde{I}=i\omega C\tilde{V}$. For an inductor, $V=L\dot{I}$ gives $\tilde{V}=i\omega L\tilde{I}$. HenceThe imaginary part encodes the relative phase of electric current and voltage: electric current leads voltage in an ideal capacitor and lags it in an ideal inductor.

Assume a passive linear electrical circuit in sinusoidal steady state, with transients absent and $V_0$ the peak voltage. Write $Z=|Z|e^{i\varphi }=R+iX$. The electric current is $I(t)=I_0\cos (\omega t-\varphi )$, with $I_0=V_0/|Z|$. Average the instantaneous electric power $V(t)I(t)$ over a full period. The double-frequency term averages to zero, leavingThereforeEquivalently, root mean square values give $⟨P⟩=V_{\mathrm{rms}}{I}_{\mathrm{rms}}\cos \varphi$. The reactance exchanges stored electric field or magnetic field energy with the source, whereas the real part produces Joule heating. A purely imaginary complex impedance dissipates no mean electric power under these ideal assumptions.

Keep the source diagram's topology: the arm from the left supply node to $X$ contains $R_0$ and $C_0$ in series; the arm from $X$ to the right supply node is $C_1$; the arm from the left node to $Y$ is $R_1$; and the arm from $Y$ to the right node contains $R$ and $C$ in parallel. Their complex impedances areFor this capacitor bridge with series loss and a parallel standard arm, the detector carries no electric current at balance. Taking the right supply node as zero electric potential and the left one as the source voltage $V_s$, the two voltage dividers give $V_X=V_s{Z}_1/(Z_0+Z_1)$ and $V_Y=V_s{Z}_p/(R_1+Z_p)$. Equality of these complex voltages means equality at every time, rather than merely equality of their magnitudes. Cross multiplication yields $R_1{Z}_1=Z_0{Z}_p$. ThusEquating real and imaginary parts givesThe two adjustable standards determine the two components of the unknown complex impedance. Treating the lower-right arm as a series combination would give a different and incorrect balance equation for the source circuit. The result also gives the dimensionless dielectric loss tangent $\omega C_0{R}_0=\omega RC$ for the series-loss model.