# Electrical Engineer Interview Questions - General Electrical Terms

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**Category:** Electrical\
**Created:** [March 7, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://forumautomation.com/t/electrical-engineer-interview-questions-general-electrical-terms/291 "2015-03-07T21:37:54Z")\
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**Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://forumautomation.com/t/electrical-engineer-interview-questions-general-electrical-terms/291/1 "2015-03-07T21:37:55Z")

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Electrical Engineer / Electrician Interview question General terms used in electrical engineering **Inrush Current**

This is the peak current that occurs when power is first applied to a unit. It is measured in peak amperes

**Power factor**

This is the relationship of the actual power usage to the apparent power usage. For example : Actual Power = 100 watts of power when averaged over a period of time. Apparent Power = RMS Current X RMS Voltage. RMS Current = 1.28 A RMS voltage = 120Vac Apparent Power = 1.28 A x 120 Vac = 153.6 VA Power Factor = 100 watts/153.6 VA = 0.651 or 65.1%.

**True RMS current** The acronym RMS stands for Root Mean Square. The definition of Root Mean Square is the square root of the mean square of the variable values taken throughout one cycle.

**Peak current** This is a measurement of the normal running current, but instead of an average or RMS value, the peak value is given. This is the highest value that the current reaches during a given half cycle. A typical load of the rectifier/capacitor-input type.

**Watts** This is the integral of the instantaneous voltage multiplied by the instantaneous current over a half cycle.

**BTU/hr** BTU/hr stands for British Thermal Units per hour. The British Thermal Unit is equivalent to the quantity of heat necessary to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit (at 39.2°F). It provides a measurement of power converted to a form that is useful for sizing heating and cooling systems.