What is a rectifier ? With suitable circuit describe the action of a full wave rectifier by drawing input and output waveforms.

Explanation

Rectifier is a device which converts alternating currrent (ac) into direct current (dc).


The circuit connections are as shown in the figure. In the positive half cycle of input AC diode `D_1` is forward biased and conducts. In the negative half cycle of the input AC diode `D_2` is forward biased and `D_1` is reverse biased. `D_2` gives output across `R_L`. The input and output waveforms are as shown. The output is a pulsating DC.