GW Instek GDM-8200A User Manual - Manual (Page 27)

BASIC MEASUREMENT
27
Crest factor table
Background Crest factor is the ratio of the peak signal amplitude to the
RMS value of the signal. It determines the accuracy of AC
measurement.
If the crest factor is less than 3.0, voltage measurement will
not result in error due to dynamic range limitations at full
scale.
If the crest factor is more than 3.0, it usually indicates
abnormal waveform as seen from the below table.
Waveform Shape Crest factor
Square wave 1.0
Sine wave 1.414
Triangle
sawtooth 1.732
Mixed
frequencies 1.414 ~ 2.0
SCR output
100% ~ 10% 1.414 ~ 3.0
White noise 3.0 ~ 4.0
AC Coupled
pulse train 3.0
Spike >9.0