12-02-2014, 01:32 PM
(12-02-2014, 12:34 PM)pwdrive Wrote: In all of this I still can't see where the flow of current is reversed on the waveform.
I really don't know what I can add. All I can do is reiterate:
Any signal consists of an AC component and a DC offset. That's it. If this wasn't true, electronics would be impossible!
As I've already said, into a purely resistive load, the current doesn't reverse. But your signal still has a not insignificant 5V peak-to-peak AC component.
In real-world circuits, the current may well reverse. But usually, the current isn't important anyway; most often it's the voltage that equipment input stages look for.
Perhaps AC is a term that should be reserved for talking about power engineers, and perhaps electronic engineers should say "signal" instead. However, we use both synonymously, and it's not a problem because it's usually clear from the context.
