How is the peak voltage of an alternating current calculated?

The peak voltage of an alternating current is calculated by multiplying the RMS voltage by the square root of 2.

Alternating current (AC) is a type of electrical current that changes direction periodically. The voltage of AC varies with time, and it is usually measured in terms of its root-mean-square (RMS) value. The RMS voltage is the equivalent DC voltage that would produce the same amount of power as the AC voltage. For example, a sinusoidal AC voltage with an RMS value of 10 volts would produce the same amount of power as a DC voltage of 10 volts.

The peak voltage of an AC waveform is the maximum voltage that it reaches during one cycle. It is related to the RMS voltage by a factor of the square root of 2. This means that the peak voltage is equal to the RMS voltage multiplied by the square root of 2. For example, if the RMS voltage of an AC waveform is 10 volts, then the peak voltage is 10 x √2 = 14.14 volts.

It is important to note that the peak voltage is not the same as the amplitude of the AC waveform. The amplitude is the maximum distance that the waveform deviates from its average value, and it is equal to half of the peak-to-peak voltage. The peak-to-peak voltage is the difference between the maximum and minimum voltages of the waveform during one cycle. Therefore, the amplitude of an AC waveform is equal to the peak voltage divided by √2.