In
electrical engineering, the average rectified value (ARV) of a quantity is the
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
of its
absolute value.
The
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
of a symmetric alternating value is zero and it is therefore not useful to characterize it. Thus the easiest way to determine a quantitative measurement size is to use the average rectified value. The average rectified value is mainly used to characterize
alternating voltage and current. It can be computed by averaging the absolute value of a
waveform
In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time.David Crecraft, David Gorham, ''Electro ...
over one full period of the waveform.
While conceptually similar to the
root mean square (RMS), ARV will differ from it whenever a function's absolute value varies locally, as the former then increases disproportionately. The difference is expressed by the
form factor
:
See also
*
Average absolute deviation
The average absolute deviation (AAD) of a data set is the average of the absolute deviations from a central point. It is a summary statistic of statistical dispersion or variability. In the general form, the central point can be a mean, median, m ...
*
Root mean square
*
Form factor (electronics)
*
True RMS converter
For the measurement of an alternating current the signal is often converted into a direct current of equivalent value, the root mean square (RMS). Simple instrumentation and signal converters carry out this conversion by filtering the signal i ...
References
Electric power conversion
{{engineering-stub