Page 57 - Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics

Safety considerations in electrical work 37

2-10 At A, half-wave rectification of ac. At B, full-wave rectification.
Effective values are shown by dotted lines.

Using household ac as an example, the peak value is generally about 165 V; the ef-
fective value is 117 V. If full-wave rectification is used (Fig.2-10B), the effective value is
still 117 V. If half-wave rectification is used, as in Fig. 2-10A, the effective value is about
58.5 V.

Safety considerations in electrical work

For your purposes here, one rule applies concerning safety around electrical appara-
tus. If you are in the slightest doubt about whether or not something is safe, leave it
to a professional electrician.