The sine wave is a graphical representation of voltage in an AC circuit over a period of what quantity?

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Multiple Choice

The sine wave is a graphical representation of voltage in an AC circuit over a period of what quantity?

In AC circuits, a sine wave is drawn to show how voltage changes as time passes. The horizontal axis represents time, and one full up-and-down swing of the wave corresponds to one complete cycle, called the period. So the quantity being graphed over is time. The frequency is how many cycles occur per second (the reciprocal of the period), not what the axis represents. The amplitude is how high the peaks reach, and phase is a shift in where the cycle starts, not the axis being time. For example, at 60 Hz, the wave repeats every about 16.7 milliseconds.

In AC circuits, a sine wave is drawn to show how voltage changes as time passes. The horizontal axis represents time, and one full up-and-down swing of the wave corresponds to one complete cycle, called the period. So the quantity being graphed over is time. The frequency is how many cycles occur per second (the reciprocal of the period), not what the axis represents. The amplitude is how high the peaks reach, and phase is a shift in where the cycle starts, not the axis being time. For example, at 60 Hz, the wave repeats every about 16.7 milliseconds.

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