What does the abbreviation VAR stand for in electrical terms?

• A. Variable Anisotropy Rate
• B. Volt Ampere Reactive
• C. Variable Amplitude Ratio
• D. Voltage and Resistance

Answer: (B)

VAR stands for volt-ampere reactive. It represents reactive power in AC circuits—the portion of power that oscillates between the source and the reactive elements (like inductors and capacitors) as energy is stored and returned each cycle. Real power, measured in watts, does actual work, while apparent power, measured in volt-amperes, combines both real and reactive components. The relation is S^2 = P^2 + Q^2, where Q is the reactive power in vars. Understanding reactive power helps with voltage regulation and power factor in AC systems. The other proposed terms don’t describe a defined electrical quantity: they aren’t standard terms for power in AC circuits, and “voltage and resistance” isn’t a named quantity the way reactive power is.