puolijakso

Puolijakso is the Finnish term for a half cycle, the interval of time that constitutes half of a repeating waveform’s period. For a periodic signal with period T, a puolijakso lasts T/2. In terms of frequency f, its duration is 1/(2f). For a sine wave, this corresponds to the phase interval from 0 to π radians (and from π to 2π radians as the next half-cycle).

In electrical engineering and related fields, puolijakso is used when discussing half-wave processes. A common example is half-wave rectification, where only one polarity of the alternating signal is passed, producing pulses at the fundamental frequency and altering the harmonic content of the signal. The concept is also relevant when analyzing timing, synchronization, and duty cycle in periodic waveforms.

The term is primarily used in Finnish technical writing and education to describe the timing and phase aspects of alternating current and other periodic signals. It is closely related to broader concepts such as period, frequency, phase, and full cycle.

See also: sine wave, half-wave rectification, period, frequency, phase.