AnswersDriveA waveform is a representation of how alternating current (AC) varies with time. The most familiar AC waveform is the sine wave, which derives its name from the fact that the current or voltage varies with the sine of the elapsed time.
What is sinusoidal AC waveform?
The term AC or to give it its full description of Alternating Current, generally refers to a time-varying waveform with the most common of all being called a Sinusoid better known as a Sinusoidal Waveform. Sinusoidal waveforms are more generally called by their short description as Sine Waves.
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Is a sine wave AC or DC?
The abbreviations AC and DC are often used to mean simply alternating and direct, as when they modify current or voltage. The usual waveform of alternating current in most electric power circuits is a sine wave.
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What is the most common type of AC waveform?
If we hook up an oscilloscope to a circuit with AC and plot its voltage over time, we might see a number of different waveforms. The most common type of AC is the sine wave. The AC in most homes and offices have an oscillating voltage that produces a sine wave.
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How AC is converted to DC?
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction. The process is known as rectification, since it "straightens" the direction of current.
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What is the main advantage of AC over DC?
The major advantage that AC electricity has over DC electricity is that AC voltages can be readily transformed to higher or lower voltage levels, while it is difficult to do that with DC voltages. Since high voltages are more efficient for sending electricity great distances, AC electricity has an advantage over DC.
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What is the meaning of RMS value?
The RMS value is the effective value of a varying voltage or current. It is the equivalent steady DC (constant) value which gives the same effect. For example, a lamp connected to a 6V RMS AC supply will shine with the same brightness when connected to a steady 6V DC supply.
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What is a AC in a circuit?
Direct current (DC) circuits involve current flowing in one direction. In alternating current (AC) circuits, instead of a constant voltage supplied by a battery, the voltage oscillates in a sine wave pattern, varying with time as: In a household circuit, the frequency is 60 Hz.
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How is AC produced?
AC can be produced using a device called an alternator. This device is a special type of electrical generator designed to produce alternating current. A loop of wire is spun inside of a magnetic field, which induces a current along the wire.
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What does wave form mean?
An instrument called an oscilloscope can be used to pictorially represent a wave as a repeating image on a screen. To be more specific, a waveform is depicted by a graph that shows the changes in a recorded signal's amplitude over the duration of recording.
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Why is alternating current better?
The voltage in AC circuits also periodically reverses because the current changes direction. AC also has some useful properties, such as being able to convert voltage levels with a single component (a transformer), which is why AC was chosen as the primary means to transmit electricity over long distances.
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What is the peak value of a sine wave?
That is, if an AC sine wave has a RMS value of 240 volts, it will provide the same energy to a circuit as a DC supply of 240 volts. It can be shown that the RMS value of a sine wave is 0.707 of the peak value. Also, the peak value of a sine wave is equal to 1.414 x the RMS value.
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What is the AC theory?
Chapter 1 - Basic AC Theory. Most students of electricity begin their study with what is known as direct current (DC), which is electricity flowing in a constant direction, and/or possessing a voltage with constant polarity.
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Where DC current is used?
This form of power is most commonly produced by sources such as solar cells, batteries, and thermocouples. DC power is widely used in low voltage applications such as charging batteries, automotive applications, aircraft applications and other low voltage, low current applications.
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How do you calculate RMS?
Peak values can be calculated from RMS values from the above formula, which implies VP = VRMS × √2, assuming the source is a pure sine wave. Thus the peak value of the mains voltage in the USA is about 120 × √2, or about 170 volts.
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What is the cycle of a sine wave?
The frequency of a sine wave is the number of complete cycles that happen every second. (A cycle is the same as the period, see below.) In the bouncing weight above, the frequency is about one cycle per second. In general, a sine wave is given by the formula.
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What is an AC signal?
AC means Alternating Current and DC means Direct Current. AC and DC are also used when referring to voltages and electrical signals which are not currents! For example: a 12V AC power supply has an alternating voltage (which will make an alternating current flow).
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Who discovered AC and DC current?
The two feuding geniuses waged a "War of Currents" in the 1880s over whose electrical system would power the world — Tesla's alternating-current (AC) system or Edison's rival direct-current (DC) electric power. Amongst science nerds, few debates get more heated than the ones that compare Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.
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What do you mean by peak factor?
Crest factor is the peak amplitude of the waveform divided by the RMS value of the waveform: The peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) is the peak amplitude squared (giving the peak power) divided by the RMS value squared (giving the average power).
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What is a sinusoidal voltage?
Then the waveform shape produced by our simple single loop generator is commonly referred to as a Sine Wave as it is said to be sinusoidal in its shape. This type of waveform is called a sine wave because it is based on the trigonometric sine function used in mathematics, ( x(t) = Amax.sinθ ).
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What is the peak value?
Peak (pk) is the maximum value, either positive (pk+) or negative (pk-), that a waveform attains. Peak values can be expressed for voltage (the usual case), current , or power . Alternating current ( AC ) waveforms reach peaks in two directions of polarity or current flow.
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What is the peak of the voltage?
Peak voltage, VP, is a voltage waveform which is measured from the horizontal axis (at the 0 height reference mark) to the top of the waveform, called the crest of the waveform. This is called the peak voltage. Peak voltage represents the amplitude of a waveform.