The crest factor or peak-to-average ratio (PAR) is a measurement of a waveform, calculated from the peak amplitude of the waveform divided by the RMS value of the waveform :
The peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) is a related measure that is defined as the peak amplitude squared (giving the peak power) divided by the RMS value squared (giving the average power):
Crest factor and PAPR are therefore dimensionless quantities. While the crest factor is most simply expressed by a positive rational number, in commercial products it is also commonly stated as the ratio of two whole numbers, e.g., 2:1. The PAPR is most used in signal processing applications. As it is a power ratio, it is normally expressed in decibels (dB).
The minimum possible crest factor is 1, 1:1 or 0 dB.
Read more about Crest Factor: Examples, Digital Multimeters, Peak-to-average Ratio (PAR) Meter, Applications
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