Peak-to-peak

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The peak-to-peak amplitude of a waveform is the amplitude between its maximum positive value and its maximum negative value. The peak value is the maximum amplitude above zero.

Typically used in electrical engineering and electronics to characterise a varying voltage or current.

If the waveform is a pure sine wave, the relationships between peak-to-peak, peak, mean, and RMS amplitudes are fixed and known, but this is not true for an arbitrary waveform which may or may not be periodic.

Peak-to-peak amplitudes can be measured by meters with appropriate ciruitry, or by viewing the waveform on an oscilloscope.

For a sine wave the relationship between RMS and peak-to-peak amplitude is:

\mbox{Peak-to-peak} = 2 \sqrt{2} \times \mbox{RMS} \approx 2.8 \times \mbox{RMS} \,

When dealing with alternating current electrical power it is universal to specify RMS values of a sinusoidal waveform. It is important to recognise that the peak-to-peak voltage is nearly 3 times the RMS value when assessing safety, specifying components, etc.

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