When does full wave rectification occur?

Full wave rectification occurs when the negative voltage peaks of an alternating current (AC) signal are inverted to become positive voltage. This process utilizes both halves of the AC waveform, allowing the current to flow in a single direction regardless of the original polarity of the input voltage.

By inverting the negative peaks, full wave rectification ensures that there is a continuous flow of current, resulting in a smoother output voltage with reduced ripple compared to half-wave rectification, which only utilizes the positive half of the waveform. This is crucial in many applications, such as power supply circuits, where a stable and steady DC output is required.