AC Circuits

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 AC Circuits

• AC (alternating current) circuits refer to the circuits in which

the current and voltage is continuously varying in magnitude
and direction over time.
• unlike the DC (direct current) circuits in which the current
and voltage are fixed over time in magnitude and direction.

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AC Waveforms
There are a number of common AC waveforms, such as:

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Sinusoidal Waveform
The sinusoidal waveform is commonly available around us since this is
the waveform of the electricity in our homes, which operates most of the
appliances, such as bulbs, fans, TVs, computers, etc.

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 Sinusoidal Waveform Characteristics
The sinusoidal voltage (or current) waveform is represented graphically
by sine wave.
Here are some characteristics for the sine waveform:
• The maximum value of the voltage waveform is called the peak voltage
(Vp).

• The value between the positive and negative peaks is called the peak-
to-peak voltage (Vp-p).

• The time taken to complete one cycle is the period of the waveform
(T).

• The number of cycles in the waveform per second is the frequency of

the waveform (f).

1 The mathematical expression for the sinusoidal waveform is:

𝑓= Hz
𝑇
𝑣(𝑡) = 𝑉𝑝 sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)
1
𝑇= seconds
𝑓

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 Example
Find the frequency of the following waveform. And write the
mathematical expression for that waveform. What is the value
of the waveform at 22 ms?

Solution

From the figure, 𝑇 = 20 ms = 0.02 s

1 1
𝑓= = = 50 Hz
𝑇 0.02
The mathematical expression is on the form:

𝑣(𝑡) = 𝑉𝑝 sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡) = 10 sin(2𝜋 × 50𝑡) = 10 sin(100𝜋𝑡)

at t = 22 ms, 𝑣 = 10 sin 100 × 𝜋 × 0.022 = 10 sin 2.2𝜋 = 5.88 V

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 Root Mean Square (RMS) Value
The RMS value of an AC voltage (Vrms), also called the effective value
(Veff), is the equivalent value for an AC system that provides the same
amount of electrical power to a load as a DC equivalent circuit.

For a sinusoidal waveform, the RMS value is:

𝑉𝑝
𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 = 𝑉𝑒𝑓𝑓 = = 0.707𝑉𝑝
2

When you measure an AC voltage (or current) using a

multimeter, it will measure the RMS value of the
waveform.
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AC Circuit Laws

The same laws applied in DC circuits (resistors combination,

Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s laws, voltage and current divider rules)
are also applied to AC circuits.

Here, the voltage and current values are:

𝑣(𝑡) = 𝑉𝑝 sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)
𝑖(𝑡) = 𝐼𝑝 sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)

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AC Circuit Laws
Ohm’s law:

𝑣 𝑉𝑝
𝑖= = sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡) = 𝐼𝑝 sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)
𝑅 𝑅
𝑉𝑝
where, 𝐼𝑝 =
𝑅

and for given i,

𝑣 = 𝑖 𝑅 = 𝐼𝑝 sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡) 𝑅 = 𝑉𝑝 sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)

where, 𝑉𝑝 = 𝐼𝑝 𝑅

2
𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 2
power, 𝑃 = 𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 × 𝐼𝑟𝑚𝑠 = = 𝐼𝑟𝑚𝑠 ×𝑅 (watt𝑠)
𝑅

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Example
For the following circuit,

a) Determine the peak voltage, RMS voltage, and the

frequency of the AC source.

b) Determine the instantaneous current i delivered

from the source.

c) Determine the instantaneous voltages 𝒗𝟏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝒗𝟐 .

d) Determine the RMS values for 𝒗𝟏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝒗𝟐 .

e) Determine the power dissipated on R1 and R2.

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 Solution
a)
The voltage of the source is at the form:
𝐸 = 15 𝑠𝑖𝑛(200𝜋𝑡)

the general form is:

𝐸 = 𝐸𝑝 𝑠𝑖𝑛(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)

∴ The peak voltage of the source, 𝐸𝑝 = 15 V

The frequency of the source, 𝑓 = 100 Hz

𝐸𝑝 15
and the RMS voltage, 𝐸𝑟𝑚𝑠 = = = 10.6 V
2 2
b)

𝐸 15 𝑠𝑖𝑛(200𝜋𝑡)
𝑖= = = 3 × 10−3 𝑠𝑖𝑛 200𝜋𝑡
𝑅𝑇 2000 + 3000
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