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Phy3 Chapter1

1) Alternating current (AC) periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows in one direction. 2) AC is characterized by its frequency, period, and peak and root mean square (RMS) values, and can be displayed on an oscilloscope. 3) The phase difference between two AC signals refers to the amount one signal is out of step with the other, measured in degrees. Kirchhoff's laws and Ohm's law can be used to calculate voltage, current, and resistance in simple AC circuits.

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20 views26 pages

Phy3 Chapter1

1) Alternating current (AC) periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows in one direction. 2) AC is characterized by its frequency, period, and peak and root mean square (RMS) values, and can be displayed on an oscilloscope. 3) The phase difference between two AC signals refers to the amount one signal is out of step with the other, measured in degrees. Kirchhoff's laws and Ohm's law can be used to calculate voltage, current, and resistance in simple AC circuits.

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kokoh20
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General Physics (3)

Chapter 1
BASIC AC (alternating current) THEORY

Textbook
Lessons In Electric Circuits, Volume II – AC. By Tony R. Kuphaldt.6 th Edition, 2007
What is alternating current (AC)?

Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge


and/or possessing a voltage with constant polarity.
Ex : batteries

An Alternating Current (AC), is an electric current which its


value varies about a particular mean value and reverses
direction periodically (Either as a voltage switching polarity
or as a current switching direction back and forth)
Comparison between DC and AC

Comparison Basis AC DC
Travels over long distance with minimal Energy Large amount of energy is lost when
Energy Transmission Capacity
loss sent over long distances

Generation Basics Rotating a Magnet along a wire. Steady Magnetism along a wire

Frequency Usually 50Hz or 60Hz depending on Country Frequency is Zero

Reverses direction periodically when flowing It steady constant flow in one


Direction
through a circuit direction.

Current Its Magnitude Vary with time Constant Magnitude

Source All forms of AC Generators batteries


Sinusoidal, Triangular and Square
Straight line, sometimes Pulsating.

Waveform
AC waveforms
Alternating current characteristics

1) Frequency
2) The number of oscillations or cycles per second
F = 1/T
2) Periodic Time
The time required to complete one oscillation or one cycle.
3) Angular Frequency
is frequency of a periodic process (as electric oscillation)
expressed in radians per second
ω = 2π f = 2π /T
Oscilloscope

An oscilloscope (informally a scope) is a type of electronic test instrument that graphically displays varying
electrical voltages as a two-dimensional plot of one or more signals as a function of time.
Measurements of AC magnitude

1) Peak Value
One way to express the intensity, or magnitude (also
called the amplitude), of an AC quantity
is to measure its peak height on a waveform graph.
This is known as the peak or crest
value of an AC waveform.

2) Peak to Peak Value


Another way is to measure the total height between
opposite peaks
Measurements of AC magnitude

3) Average value
is to mathematically average the values of all the points on a waveform’s graph to a single number
If we average all the points on the waveform algebraically (that is, to consider their sign, either positive or negative), the
average value for most waveforms is technically zero, because
all the positive points cancel out all the negative points over a full cycle

4) Root Mean Square (RMS)


“RMS” stands for Root Mean Square, and is a way of expressing an AC quantity of
voltage or current in terms functionally equivalent to DC. For a sine wave, the
RMS value is approximately 0.707 of its peak value.
𝐼𝑟𝑚𝑠 = 𝐼𝑜ൗ 2 𝐸𝑟𝑚𝑠 = 𝐸𝑜ൗ 2
Where:
I0 = peak current (A)
V0 = peak voltage (V)
Solution:
AC phase
when we need to relate two or more AC voltages or currents that are out of step with each other. By “out of step:
that their peaks and zero points do not match up at the same points in time.

The two waves shown above (A versus B) are of the same amplitude and frequency, but they are out of step with
each other. This is called a phase shift (Phase difference, Phase)

we can express phase shift for two or more waveforms of the same frequency as a constant quantity for the
entire wave, and not just an expression of shift between any two particular points along the waves.
Example1: What is the phase difference between A and B?
Example1: What is the phase difference between A and B?

1- Voltage ’A’ is 45 degrees out of phase with voltage ’B’. Phase shift = 45o

2- Wave A leads wave B by 45o (A is ahead of B by 45o )

3- Wave B lags wave A by 45o (B is behind A by 45o )

𝐸𝐵 = 𝐸𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜔𝑡

𝐸𝐴 = 𝐸𝑜 sin(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜑)

𝜑 is the phase angle, in this case 𝜑= 45o

𝐸𝐴 = 𝐸𝑜 sin(𝜔𝑡 + 45)
Example2: What is the phase difference between A and B?
Example2: What is the phase difference between A
and B?
Simple AC circuit calculations

In simple circuits involving nothing more than an AC power source and resistance, the same laws
and rules of DC apply simply and directly.
Simple AC circuit calculations

In simple circuits involving nothing more than an AC power source and resistance, the same laws and rules
of DC apply simply and directly.

• All the old rules and laws of DC (Kirchhoff ’s Voltage and Current Laws, Ohm’s
Law) still hold true for AC. However, with more complex circuits, we may need to
represent the AC quantities in more complex form.
• The “table” method of organizing circuit values is still a valid analysis tool for AC
circuits.

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