Sine waves and

phase shift
– the general form
Karen Dodd
HNC Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Maths
2018-2019
What questions will we be able to
answer after this lesson?

 What is the relationship between the period (T),

frequency (f) and angular velocity () of a wave?

 What is the phase angle of a wave and how do I tell if

it is lagging or leading?

 How do I sketch a sine wave from its general form

equation?

 How do I calculate the phase angle if I know the

displacement of my wave at t=0?
Sine Wave

 The sine wave is a common type of alternating

current (ac) and alternating voltage
Period of a Sine Wave

 The time required for a sine wave to complete one full

cycle is called the period (T)
 A cycle consists of one complete positive, and one
complete negative alternation
 The period of a sine wave can be measured between any
two corresponding points on the waveform
Instantaneous Values of Sine
Waves
 The instantaneous values of a sine wave voltage (or
current) are different at different points along the
curve, having negative and positive values

 Instantaneous values are represented as:

v and i
Peak Values of Sine Waves

 The peak value of a sine wave is the value of voltage or

current at the positive or negative maximum with
respect to zero

 The peak value is the amplitude, the first number in the

equation

 Peak values are represented as:

Vp and Ip
Repetitive Pulses

 Any waveform that repeats itself at

fixed intervals is periodic
 The time from one pulse to the
corresponding point on the next
pulse is the period, T ( f =1/T )
Frequency of a Sine Wave

 Frequency ( f ) is the number of cycles that a sine wave

completes in one second
 The more cycles completed in one second, the higher the
frequency
 Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz)
 Relationship between frequency ( f ) and period (T) is:
f = 1/T
Angular Velocity of a Sine
Wave
 In a linear situation, velocity = distance / time
 With circular motion, we calculate angular velocity
 Angular distance travelled in one cycle is 2
 Time taken for one cycle is the period T
 Therefore the equation for angular velocity ( - omega)
is

2𝜋
𝜔= = 2𝜋𝑓
𝑇
Angular Measurement of a
Sine Wave
 A degree is an angular measurement corresponding to 1/360 of
a circle or a complete revolution
 A radian (rad) is the angular measure along the circumference
of a circle that is equal to the radius of the circle
 There are 2 radians or 360 in one complete cycle of a sine
wave
Phase of a Sine Wave

 The phase of a sine wave is an angular measurement that

specifies the position of a sine wave relative to a
reference point (often the origin)
 When a sine wave is shifted left or right with respect to
this reference, there is a phase shift
Sine Wave Formula

The general expression for a sine wave is:

y = A sin 

Where: y = an instantaneous value (v or i)

A = amplitude (maximum value)
 = angle along the horizontal axis
Sine Wave Formula – with
phase shift
The general expression for a sine wave with a phase shift is:

y = A sin ( ±)

Where: y = an instantaneous value (v or i)

A = amplitude (maximum value)
 = angle along the horizontal axis
 = angle of phase shift
Expressions for Shifted Sine Waves

 When a sine wave is shifted to the right of the

reference by an angle , it is termed lagging
 When a sine wave is shifted to the left of the
reference by an angle , it is termed leading
How to express displacement
in general form
 You will normally have enough information in the
question to work out every feature of the wave,
apart from the phase angle, and build an equation

 If you are given a value for the voltage / current at

t=0, you can plug this in to your equation to work
out the phase angle  (as t=0 at t=0) using sin-1

 You can then rewrite your equation in the full

general form: i (or v) = Asin(t ), where you now
have values for A,  and 
Some practice problems

 See your practice problems handout

Can we answer our questions?

 What is the relationship between the period (T),

frequency (f) and angular velocity () of a wave?

 What is the phase angle of a wave and how do I tell if

it is lagging or leading?

 How do I sketch a sine wave from its general form

equation?

 How do I calculate the phase angle if I know the

displacement of my wave at t=0?