Rectifiers

As discussed  above the  purpose  of the  rectifier is to  convert the incoming  ac from a transformer or other ac  source  to some  form of  pulsating dc. That it is it  takes current that  flows  alternately in both  directions and  modifies it so  that the output  current flows  only in  one direction. All rectifier  circuits may be  classified  into one of  two  categories  as follows:

Half Wave Rectifiers : An easy  way to  convert ac to  pulsating de is to  simply  allow  half  of the ac cycle to pass while  blocking current  to prevent  it from  flowing  during  the other  half  cycle. Because these  circuits operate on the entire incoming  ac wave they are known   as half  wave rectifiers.

Full Wave Rectifiers : The more common  approach is to  manipulate the incoming  ac wave so that both halves are used to cause  output current to flow in the same direction. Because these circuits operate on the entire  incoming  ac wave they are known  as full wave rectifiers.