Editing Resonator (section)

===Resonant circuits===
{{main|electrical resonance}}

An electrical circuit composed of discrete components can act as a resonator when both an [[inductor]] and [[capacitor]] are included.  Oscillations are limited by the inclusion of resistance, either via a specific [[resistor]] component, or due to [[electrical resistance|resistance]] of the inductor windings.  Such [[resonant circuit]]s are also called [[RLC circuit]]s after the circuit symbols for the components.

A [[distributed-element model|distributed-parameter]] resonator has capacitance, inductance, and resistance that cannot be isolated into separate lumped capacitors, inductors, or resistors.  An example of this, much used in [[filter (signal processing)|filtering]], is the [[helical resonator]].

An [[inductor]] consisting of a coil of wire, is self-resonant at a certain frequency due to the [[parasitic capacitance]] between its turns.  This is often an unwanted effect that can cause [[parasitic oscillation]]s in RF circuits.  The self-resonance of inductors is used in a few circuits, such as the [[Tesla coil]].