Alternating current and Average power

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the relationship between alternating current, its period, and the calculation of average power. Participants explore the implications of using the current's period versus the power's period in the context of power calculations, particularly in sinusoidal functions.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why the average power is calculated using the period of the current rather than the period of the power, given that the power's period is not the same as the current's.
  • Another participant provides a counterexample of a positive sawtooth waveform, suggesting that the period does not change in that case.
  • Some participants argue that the fundamental period of the current is always a period of the power, even if it is not the fundamental period of the power.
  • A later reply uses trigonometric identities to show that the period of the power is half that of the current, leading to the same average power result.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relevance of the current's period versus the power's period in calculating average power. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of these periods.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the definitions of periods in different contexts and how they relate to the average power calculation. The discussion includes assumptions about the nature of the waveforms being considered.

LagrangeEuler
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For a current
i(t)=I_0\sin(\omega t+\varphi_0)
period is ##T=\frac{2\pi}{\omega}##,
Power is defined as
p(t)=Ri^2(t). So period of power is not any more ##T=\frac{2\pi}{\omega}##. Why then average power is
P=\frac{1}{T}\int^T_0p(t)d t.
Why are we using the period of current and not of the power ##p(t)##?
 
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Counter example: a positive sawtooth (##\ 0...A\ ##) in T: Period doesn't change.
 
Ok. But if the period changes why we used the period of the current and not of the power?
 
LagrangeEuler said:
Ok. But if the period changes why we used the period of the current and not of the power?
For consistency. The fundamental period of the current is always a period of the power, even if it is not the fundamental period of the power.
 
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LagrangeEuler said:
For a current
i(t)=I_0\sin(\omega t+\varphi_0)
period is ##T=\frac{2\pi}{\omega}##,
Power is defined as
p(t)=Ri^2(t). So period of power is not any more ##T=\frac{2\pi}{\omega}##. Why then average power is
P=\frac{1}{T}\int^T_0p(t)d t.
Why are we using the period of current and not of the power ##p(t)##?
Who says we are not using the period of the power? Using simple trigonometry,
$$P(t)=I_0^2R\sin^2(\omega t)=\frac{1}{2}I_0^2R[1-\cos(\Omega t)]~~~~~(\Omega \equiv 2\omega)$$Thus, the period of the power ##\frac{2\pi}{\Omega}## is half the period of the current. The average power is $$ \langle P \rangle=\frac{\frac{1}{2}I_0^2R \int_0^{\frac{2\pi}{\Omega}}[1-\cos(\Omega t)]dt}{\int_0^{\frac{2\pi}{\Omega}}dt}=\frac{1}{2}I_0^2R.$$Same result.
 
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