The DC equivalent of an AC sine wave is:

The DC equivalent of an AC sine wave is:

• A. Peak value
• B. RMS value
• C. Average value
• D. Frequency

Answer: (B)

The key idea is to replace an AC sine wave with a constant DC value that would produce the same average power in a circuit, which is given by the RMS value. For a sine wave, the RMS value is the peak value divided by sqrt(2), and it represents the effective voltage (or current) that determines heating in a resistive load. This is why the DC equivalent is the RMS value rather than the peak or the average; the average over a full cycle of a sine is zero, and DC has no frequency. Therefore, the DC equivalent of an AC sine wave is its RMS value.

The key idea is to replace an AC sine wave with a constant DC value that would produce the same average power in a circuit, which is given by the RMS value. For a sine wave, the RMS value is the peak value divided by sqrt(2), and it represents the effective voltage (or current) that determines heating in a resistive load. This is why the DC equivalent is the RMS value rather than the peak or the average; the average over a full cycle of a sine is zero, and DC has no frequency. Therefore, the DC equivalent of an AC sine wave is its RMS value.