Question

What do you mean by one cycle of a wave?

Hint:

The time taken to complete one full cycle is called the Time Period ($T$), and the number of complete cycles executed per second is defined as the Frequency ($f = 1/T$, in Hertz).

Answer 1

Step 1: Concept of Periodicity:
Alternating Current (AC) waveforms are periodic functions of time. They repeat their values at regular, fixed time intervals.

Step 2: Definition of a Cycle:
One complete cycle is defined as a single complete sequence of positive and negative values of an alternating quantity (such as AC voltage or current) that repeats itself regularly.

Step 3: Elements of a Single Sinusoidal Cycle:
For a standard sinusoidal wave $v(t) = V_m \sin(\omega t)$:

• It starts at zero, rises to a maximum positive peak ($+V_m$), drops back to zero (positive half-cycle).
• It then falls to a maximum negative peak ($-V_m$) and returns to zero (negative half-cycle).
• This single cycle covers a total phase angle of $360^\circ$ or $2\pi$ radians of angular displacement.