In a half wave rectifier, the output
- A. uses both halves of the input cycle
- B. consists of one half cycle only, with the other half missing
- C. is a steady direct voltage
- D. is zero
Explanation
The single diode conducts only while its anode is positive, so alternate half cycles are blocked and the output is a series of pulses with gaps between them. This makes it inefficient and hard to smooth, since the ripple frequency is only that of the supply. A full wave rectifier inverts the other half instead of discarding it.