Crest factor
PrintThe ratio of the peak value of a signal to its RMS value. For a sine wave the Crest factor is 1.414, and for a square wave the Crest factor is 1.
This specification is important as it indicates the maximum peak value of an arbitrary waveform that a DMM can handle without overloading. The Crest factor also affects the accuracy of the AC measurement. For example, given a DMM with an AC accuracy of 0.03% (this is always specified for sine waves), and an additional error of 0.2% for Crest factors between 1.414 and 5, the total accuracy for measuring a triangular wave (Crest factor = 1.73) is 0.03% + 0.2% = 0.23%.
Units:
Ratio
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