RMS/PHASOR
AC CIRCUITS
PERFORMANCE INDICATOR
1.Representing phase in phasor diagram and
sinusoidal waveform .
2.Calculate the RMS values (effective values).
PHASE
• For voltage and current produced IR , ΔυR
in an AC generator, both current
a
and voltage reach their maximum Imax iR
and minimum values
simultaneously. We therefore say ∆Vmax ΔυR
that AC voltage and current are in b
t
T
phase. Figure on the right shows
a graph of AC voltage and current
over time in phase.
c
Phasor Diagrams
• Phasor Diagrams are a graphical way of representing the magnitude
and directional relationship between two or more alternating quantities
• Phasor diagrams present a graphical representation, plotted on a
coordinate system, of the phase relationship between the voltages and
currents within passive components or a whole circuit. Generally,
phasors are defined relative to a reference phasor which is always
points to the right along the x-axis
Phasor Diagrams for a Sinusoidal Waveform
• Sinusoidal waveforms of the same frequency can have a Phase
Difference between themselves which represents the angular
difference of the two sinusoidal waveforms. Also the terms “lead” and
“lag” as well as “in-phase” and “out-of-phase” are commonly used to
indicate the relationship of one sinusoidal waveform to another. The
generalised sinusoidal expression given as:
A(t) = Ap sin(ωt ± Φ)
Phasor Diagrams for a Sinusoidal Waveform
• Domestic electricity supply is Current (A)
called a 3 phase AC since there
are three phases of Alternating time
voltage and current together. This
fact relates to the rotating of three
sets of coils in a magnetic field. A
graph showing three phase AC
voltage (current has the same
type of appearance) is shown in
figure 33.
What is RMS VALUES?
• For alternating electric current, RMS is equal to the value of the
constant direct current that would produce the same power dissipation
in a resistive load.
• Refer to the video for derivation of RMS VALUE formula.
RMS VALUES
• Potential Difference and Current from AC sources are
mostly stated in RMS (Root Mean Square) values.
• In a practical sense, the RMS values are AC voltage
and current values that supply the same average
power to an electrical device as corresponding DC
values.
• For instance a device that runs on 240V RMS and
150mA RMS dissipates the same amount of energy as
240V DC and 150mA DC.
• Mathematically the RMS value is the square root of
the mean of the squares of all instantaneous voltage
(or current) over one cycle. For electric currents that
follow sinusoidal waveform we use the values given
below.
RMS VALUE
• RMS values are related to peak values by the following formulae (for
sinusoidal values only);
𝐼𝑃 𝑉𝑃
𝐼𝑅𝑀𝑆 = ; 𝑉𝑅𝑀𝑆 =
2 2
• There are other types of AC waveforms and they have their own formulae
for calculating RMS values. At this stage we will focus our attention of
sinusoidal waveforms only.
ACTIVITIES
1. Explain the practical definition of RMS current and RMS voltage.
Ans: 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.
2. Copy and complete the following tables for missing RMS values and Peak values (to 2
decimal places) from sinusoidal AC voltages & currents.
VRMS VPeak IRMS IPeak
(a) 520V 0.6A
(b) 3V 7.4A
(c) 36mV 500mA
(d) 68µV 50mA
(e) 2.40V 65µA
3
4
