The field current supply in older machines comes from a lower voltage direct current generator or exciter on the same shaft as the alternator. Modern machines however are either statically excited or of the high-speed brush-less type. The exciter is required to operate to counter the effects of power factor for a given load. The power factor is a measure of the phase difference between voltage and current and is expressed as the cosine of the phase angle. With a purely resistance load the voltage and the current are in phase, giving a power factor of one. The power consumed is therefore the product of voltage and current. Inductive or capacitive loads, combined with resistance loads, produce lagging or leading power factors which have a value less than one. The power consumed is therefore the product of current, voltage and power factor. The alternating current generator supplying a load has a voltage drop resulting from the load. When the load has a lagging power factor this voltage drop is considerable. Therefore the exciter, in maintaining the alternator voltage, must vary with load current and also the power factor. The speed change of the prime mover must also be taken into account.