🌗 Half-Wave Rectifier
📖 The Physics
Mains electricity is AC — it swings positive then negative — but most gadgets need steady DC. A rectifier is the first step. The half-wave version uses a single diode.
During the positive half of each AC cycle the diode is forward-biased and passes the current; during the negative half it is reverse-biased and blocks it. The output is a series of positive pulses — rough DC.
V_out = V_in − 0.7 V (only when V_in > 0.7 V, else 0)
Average DC ≈ V_peak / π
Notice half of the input is thrown away, so it is inefficient and very "bumpy". The full-wave rectifier fixes both problems by using both halves of the wave.
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