If the peak current is 16.5 A, what is the average?

If the peak current is 16.5 A, what is the average?

• A. 16.5 A
• B. 10.5 A
• C. 6.75 A
• D. 15.0 A

Answer: (B)

When a current waveform is a sine wave that has been full-wave rectified, its average value over a complete cycle is about 0.637 times its peak. This comes from averaging i(t) = I_peak |sin(ωt)| over one period, which yields I_avg = (2/π) I_peak. Plugging in the peak current: I_avg = (2/π) × 16.5 A ≈ 10.5 A. So the average current is 10.5 A. The other values don’t match because they would represent different relationships to the peak (for example, the peak value itself, or a smaller fraction), whereas the correct average for a full-wave rectified sine is 2/π of the peak.

When a current waveform is a sine wave that has been full-wave rectified, its average value over a complete cycle is about 0.637 times its peak. This comes from averaging i(t) = I_peak |sin(ωt)| over one period, which yields I_avg = (2/π) I_peak.

Plugging in the peak current:

I_avg = (2/π) × 16.5 A ≈ 10.5 A.

So the average current is 10.5 A. The other values don’t match because they would represent different relationships to the peak (for example, the peak value itself, or a smaller fraction), whereas the correct average for a full-wave rectified sine is 2/π of the peak.