Which value describes the voltage of an AC circuit that delivers the same power as a corresponding DC circuit?

The value that describes the voltage of an AC circuit, which delivers the same power as a corresponding DC circuit, is the RMS (Root Mean Square) voltage. This is because the RMS value effectively represents the equivalent DC value when it comes to the power delivered in resistive loads.

RMS voltage is essential in AC circuit analysis because it indicates the effective voltage that would produce the same amount of heat in a resistive load as a DC voltage of the same magnitude. In practical applications, using RMS values allows electricians and engineers to work with AC voltages more intuitively, as the calculations for power follow the same principles as those used for DC.

Unlike peak voltage, which represents the maximum instantaneous voltage in an AC cycle, the RMS voltage provides a more realistic measure of the voltage's ability to do work over time. Similarly, average and mean voltages do not correctly characterize the effective power relationship in AC circuits because they do not account for the full waveform and its cyclical nature. Thus, RMS voltage is the standardized approach for calculating the effective voltage in AC systems.