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 Figure 3-1.—Two-wire transmission line.

wires, and the dielectric (air or insulating medium) between the wires. The following paragraphs will be useful to you as you study distributed constants on a transmission line.

Inductance of a Transmission Line

When current flows through a wire, magnetic lines of force are set up around the wire. As the current increases and decreases in amplitude, the field around the wire expands and collapses accordingly. The energy produced by the magnetic lines of force collapsing back into the wire tends to keep the current flowing in the same direction. This represents a certain amount of inductance, which is expressed in microhenrys per unit length. Figure 3-2 illustrates the inductance and magnetic fields of a transmission line.

Capacitance of a Transmission Line

Capacitance also exists between the transmission line wires, as illustrated in figure 3-3. Notice that the two parallel wires act as plates of a capacitor and that the air between them acts as a dielectric. The capacitance between the wires is usually expressed in picofarads per unit length. This electric field between the wires is similar to the field that exists between the two plates of a capacitor.

Figure 3-2.—Distributed inductance.

Figure 3-3.—Distributed capacitance.

Resistance of a Transmission Line

The transmission line shown in figure 3-4 has electrical resistance along its length. This resistance is usually expressed in ohms per unit length and is shown as existing continuously from one end of the line to the other.

Figure 3-4.—Distributed resistance.

Leakage Current

Since any dielectric, even air, is not a perfect insulator, a small current known as LEAKAGE CURRENT flows between the two wires. In effect, the insulator acts as a resistor, permitting current to pass between the two wires. Figure 3-5 shows this leakage path as resistors in parallel connected between the two lines. This property is called CONDUCTANCE (G) and is the opposite of resistance. Conductance in transmission lines is expressed as the reciprocal of resistance and is usually given in micromhos per unit length.

Figure 3-5.—Leakage in a transmission line.