Peak-to-Peak

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What Does Peak-to-Peak Mean?

Peak-to-peak (pk-pk) refers to the difference between the highest positive and the lowest negative amplitude in a waveform. For an alternating current (AC) wave in the absence of a direct current (DC) component, the pk-pk amplitude is double the positive peak amplitude. In the case of an AC sine wave having no DC component present, the pk-pk amplitude is equal to approximately 2.828 times the root-mean-square amplitude.

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Techopedia Explains Peak-to-Peak

Peak-to-peak is the amplitude of a waveform that is measured from the crest (top of the waveform) to the trough (bottom of the waveform). Peak-to-peak values are normally used to measure current, power and voltage. The pk-pk amplitude of a signal is sometimes confused with peak amplitude. The two are different, as peak amplitude only gives the maximum positive peak of a waveform, whereas pk-pk amplitude describes the total difference between the top and the bottom of the wave under observation.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.