Duty cycle is defined as which of the following?

Duty cycle is defined as which of the following?

• A. The total time the device is delivering output
• B. The percentage of time the device is delivering output
• C. The maximum energy delivered per second
• D. The rate at which pulses are delivered

Answer: (B)

Duty cycle describes how much of a stimulation cycle the device is actively delivering current. It is the ratio of the on-time to the total cycle time, expressed as a percentage. For example, if the device is on for 2 seconds and off for 8 seconds, the cycle is 10 seconds long and the duty cycle is 20%. This matters because a higher duty cycle means more energy is delivered per cycle and more potential heating, while a lower duty cycle reduces energy and can feel more comfortable. The other descriptions refer to different aspects: the total time the device is on equals on-time (not a percentage), maximum energy per second involves both current and time and is not the duty cycle, and the rate of pulses describes pulse frequency, not the duty cycle.

Duty cycle describes how much of a stimulation cycle the device is actively delivering current. It is the ratio of the on-time to the total cycle time, expressed as a percentage. For example, if the device is on for 2 seconds and off for 8 seconds, the cycle is 10 seconds long and the duty cycle is 20%. This matters because a higher duty cycle means more energy is delivered per cycle and more potential heating, while a lower duty cycle reduces energy and can feel more comfortable. The other descriptions refer to different aspects: the total time the device is on equals on-time (not a percentage), maximum energy per second involves both current and time and is not the duty cycle, and the rate of pulses describes pulse frequency, not the duty cycle.