The phase angle between two sine waves refers to the angular difference in their respective starting points or positions on the x-axis. It represents the relative shift in time or phase between the two sine waves.
To determine the phase angle, you need to compare the starting points of the waves, usually measured in degrees or radians. The phase angle can be positive or negative, depending on whether one wave leads or lags behind the other.
In mathematical terms, if two sine waves can be represented as:
y₁(t) = A₁ * sin(ωt + φ₁) y₂(t) = A₂ * sin(ωt + φ₂)
where A₁ and A₂ are the amplitudes, ω is the angular frequency, t is the time, and φ₁ and φ₂ are the phase angles of the two waves.
The phase angle between the two sine waves is given by:
Δφ = φ₂ - φ₁
The phase angle Δφ can range from -180 degrees to +180 degrees or from -π to +π radians, representing a complete cycle of the sine wave. A phase angle of 0 degrees or 0 radians means the waves are in phase, while a phase angle of ±180 degrees or ±π radians indicates they are completely out of phase.