Question

What is the ripple factor for a half-wave rectifier?

(a) 2.0

(b) 1.21

(c) 0.482

(d) 0.877

I got this question during an interview for a job.

This intriguing question originated from Semiconductor Electronics topic in section Semiconductor Electronics : Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits of Physics – Class 12

Answer 1

Right choice is (b) 1.21

Best explanation: For a half-wave rectifier,

Irms=\(\frac {I_m}{2}\); Idc=\(\frac {I_m}{\pi }\)

r = \(\sqrt {\frac {(\frac {I_m}{2} )^2}{(\frac {I_m}{\pi } )^2} – 1}\)

r=1.21