If I apply ac voltage to two capacitors in series i will measure a current. Since the capacitors are alternately taking and returning power no power is consumed. Now if I place a load in between the two capacitors does my house meter still only see reactive power and not the power dissipated across the load. I'm sure it does but how does the meter know.
I put a 100 watt flood light bulb between two 50 uf capacitors and applied 110 vac. I measure 36 vac at each capacitor and 80 vac at the light.
I guess the question is how does the meter distinguish between the reactive and real power dissipated.
Just measung phase between votage and current passing through.
If you see the meter only with the capacitors, you will see no power adsorbed, otherwise if you will add the light, you will see the meter increase the value.
Unfortunately, in electronics there ane no tricks to use.
Guess your problem is that they don't add up to 110V. Read about RC circuits in electrical circuit text book, e.g. chapter 4.3 in this lecture **broken link removed**
Read the article you suggested. I tried my hands at doing and impedance measurement on a simple rc circuit. Does this look correct.
I'm using a 50 uf cap. In series with a 5.1 ohm precision resistor.