Help with Lab.

• Rectifying Circuits Purpose: To explore some of the techniques used to convert alternating currents to direct currents.

Background and Brief Setup

For a number of reasons, electrical currents are generally created as AC throughout the world. This is easier to produce using a typical generator and allows for the simple step-up and step down of voltage using transformers. Many of the electronic devices we use in every day life, however, require DC electricity to operate. In this lab, we will explore several ways to convert AC to DC. This is called rectifying the current.

While there are several ways to rectify a current, the simplest uses an electronic device called a diode. Diodes are made from the junction of two different types of semiconductors, and allow electrical currents to pass in one direction, but not the other. In this lab, we will use a type of diode that emits light when current passes through it - a Light Emitting Diode, or LED. You may learn more about how diodes work here:

https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/led.htm#pt1

Watch the video at the following web address, then answer the following questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlquTQy2BYY&list=PLQ4v-WsImj5VjrR19oHrcobni9Z1i9YsJ

1. What is the purpose of a rectifying circuit?

2. Sketch the circuit diagram for a half-wave rectifying circuit in the space below. We will need the following schematic symbols.

Resistor: mm Diode: AC Power Supply: N