Analysis of Sinusoidal AC Voltage

The analysis thus far has been limited to dc networks—networks in which the currents or

voltages are fixed in magnitude except for transient effects. We now turn our attention to the

analysis of networks in which the magnitude of the source varies in a set manner. Of particular interest

is the time-varying voltage that is commercially available in large quantities and is

commonly called the ac voltage. (The letters ac are an abbreviation for alternating

current.) To be absolutely rigorous, the terminology ac voltage or ac

current is not sufficient to describe the type of signal we will be analyzing. Each waveform in

Fig. 13.1 is an alternating waveform available from commercial suppliers.