Full-wave Vs Half-wave Rectifier
Hardphysics
Full-wave rectifier advantage over half-wave?
Select the correct option:
Solution
Incorrect! Answer:
Higher average DC output
- Half-Wave Rectifier: Utilizes only one half of the AC cycle. Resulting DC output is intermittent, with an average voltage Vavg=Vm/π.
- Full-Wave Rectifier: Utilizes both positive and negative halves of the AC cycle (using a center-tapped transformer or a bridge circuit).
- Efficiency: It is nearly twice as efficient (81.2% vs 40.6%).
- Average DC Output: The average voltage is doubled: Vavg=2Vm/π.
- Ripple Factor: It also has a lower ripple factor (0.482 vs 1.21), meaning the output is 'smoother' even before filtering.
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- semiconductor devices
- Topic
- full-wave vs half-wave rectifier
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Higher average DC output
- Half-Wave Rectifier: Utilizes only one half of the AC cycle. Resulting DC output is intermittent, with an average voltage Vavg=Vm/π.
- Full-Wave Rectifier: Utilizes both positive and negative halves of the AC cycle (using a center-tapped transformer or a bridge circuit).
- Efficiency: It is nearly twice as efficient (81.2% vs 40.6%).
- Average DC Output: The average voltage is doubled: Vavg=2Vm/π.
- Ripple Factor: It also has a lower ripple factor (0.482 vs 1.21), meaning the output is 'smoother' even before filtering.
This hard difficulty physics question is from the chapter semiconductor devices, covering the topic of full-wave vs half-wave rectifier. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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