phasor

[ fey-zer ]

noun

, Physics.

1. a vector that represents a sinusoidally varying quantity, as a current or voltage, by means of a line rotating about a point in a plane, the magnitude of the quantity being proportional to the length of the line and the phase of the quantity being equal to the angle between the line and a reference line.

phasor

/ ˈfeɪzɔː /

noun

1. electrical engineering a rotating vector representing a quantity, such as an alternating current or voltage, that varies sinusoidally

Word History and Origins

Origin of phasor¹

First recorded in 1940–45; phase + (vect)or

Example Sentences

Dominic Philpott, chief operating officer of Hanwha Phasor – a UK-based satellite relay firm now purchased by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha that serves both civilian and government clients – noted several shifts.

From Reuters

By letting engineers monitor the flow of power between the country’s three grids — one for the East, one for the West, and another just for Texas — the phasor units should give them enough time to identify and correct the sort of imbalance that sparked the 2003 blackout.

From New York Times

To prevent a repeat episode, engineers are installing 1,000 instruments called phasor measurement units that track the rhythm of currents across different points on the country’s power grids.

From New York Times

Phasor measurement units work by measuring the rhythm of current at different points on the power grid.

From New York Times

As Mr. Lemme spoke, he looked at a real-time display of phasor measurement units across the state.

From New York Times