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The tendency of alternating current to flow near the surface of a conductor, thereby restricting the current to a small part of the total cross-sectional area and increasing the resistance to the flow of current. Note: The skin effect is caused by the self-inductance of the conductor, which causes an increase in the inductive reactance at high frequencies, thus forcing the carriers, i.e., electrons, toward the surface of the conductor. At high frequencies, the circumference is the preferred criterion for predicting resistance than is the cross-sectional area. The depth of penetration of current can be very small compared to the diameter. [From Weik '89]