Question Video: Determining the Peak Output Potential Difference of a Generator | Nagwa Question Video: Determining the Peak Output Potential Difference of a Generator | Nagwa

Question Video: Determining the Peak Output Potential Difference of a Generator Physics • Third Year of Secondary School

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The graph shows the output potential difference of a generator over time. What is the peak output potential difference of the generator?

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Video Transcript

The graph below shows the output potential difference of a generator over time. What is the peak output potential difference of the generator?

In this question, we are given a graph that shows the output potential difference of a generator on the 𝑦-axis and time on the 𝑥-axis. We are asked to find the peak output potential difference of the generator.

The peak output potential difference is simply the largest value of potential difference that the generator is able to output. To answer this question, all we need to do is deduce this value from the graph. The graph shows us how the output potential difference varies over time. For any given time value on the 𝑥-axis, for example, let’s say this time value here, we can read the corresponding output potential difference from the 𝑦-axis.

To find the peak output potential difference, we simply need to look for the points on the graph that correspond to the largest value on the 𝑦-axis. Those points are these peaks here. We can see that they all correspond to the same value on the 𝑦-axis. We just need to work out what that value is.

If we look at the scale marked on the 𝑦-axis, we can see that 10 horizontal grid lines corresponds to an output potential difference of 100 volts. This means that one horizontal grid line must correspond to 100 volts divided by 10. This is simply 10 volts. If we count up from zero volts, we can see that the peak output potential difference lies on the 12th grid line. Since each grid line corresponds to 10 volts, then 12 grid lines means an output potential difference of 12 times 10 volts. This is equal to 120 volts.

So we have found that the peak output potential difference of this generator is equal to 120 volts. This is our final answer to the question.

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