11.2 - Rectification

Rectify means "to put right", why is the word also used for changing AC to DC?

Where will you find this concept?

- A rectifier is used in any plugged in device that uses DC. For example, a computer power supply takes AC from the mains socket, steps down the potential and converts it to DC to power the computer.
- One of the big advantages of AC is that the voltage can be stepped up and down by a transformer and changed to DC with a rectifier.
- Photovoltaic cells produce DC, if this power is to be fed into the national grid it must be changed to AC with an inverter.

Diodes

Diodes 101: What do they do and how do they work? | The Burn-InDiodes are critical safeguards protecting sensitive components during power surges, but how do they work? And whose diodes can you trust?

Half Wave Rectification

Show that the maximum energy stored by the capacitor is about 3.3x10-2 J
Determine the time needed to charge the capacitor, given a resistance in the wires of 10Ω.
When the switch is in position A, explain the behavior of the following components:
1. Capacitor
2. Resistor
3. Lamp
4. LED 1
5. LED 2

4. Explain the role of the red diode in the circuit when the switch is at position A.

5. Identify, using the label + on the diagram, the polarity of the capacitor. (Where will there be an excess of positive charges, following common current conventions.)

6. Determine the time needed to charge the capacitor, given a resistance in the diode of 10Ω.