Article
Article
Phase-angle measurement
Article By:
Hurll, John Measurements Standards Laboratory, Marconi Instruments Ltd., Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.505410
Measurement of the time delay between two periodic signals. The phase difference between two sinusoidal waveforms that have the same frequency and are free of a dc component can be conveniently described as shown in Fig. 1. It can be seen that the phase angle can be considered as a measure of the time delay between two periodic signals expressed as a fraction of the wave period. This fraction is normally expressed in units of angle, with a full cycle corresponding to 360°. For example, in Fig. 1, where the voltage v1 passes through zero ⅛ cycle before a second voltage v2, it leads by 360°/8 or 45°. Phase angle is usually defined from the fundamental component of each waveform; therefore distortion of either or both signals can give rise to errors, the extent of which depends on the nature of the distortion and the method of measurement. See also: Distortion (electronic circuits)
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