In the flow of one cycle of single phase alternating current past any given point in a circuit, how many times will the current peak to a maximum or minimum?
• Single-phase AC waveform shape (sine wave) over one complete cycle • Relationship between positive/negative peaks and maximum/minimum values in a sine wave • How many extreme points (highest or lowest values) a sine wave has in one full cycle
• Sketch or imagine one complete sine wave cycle and count how many times it reaches its highest or lowest point before repeating. • Think about how the current changes from zero to positive, back through zero to negative, and back to zero. Where in that path are the true maximum or minimum values? • Ask yourself: for one full 360° electrical cycle, how many distinct points exist where the current briefly stops increasing or decreasing and changes direction?
• Be clear on what is meant by a full cycle (from one point on the waveform until it repeats the same point again). • Distinguish between crossing zero and reaching a true maximum or minimum value; they are not the same. • Verify how many distinct peak values (top or bottom of the wave) exist in a standard sine wave over 360°.
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