What is meant by "phase shift" in electrical terms?

Phase shift refers to the difference in phase angle between two sinusoidal waveforms. In electrical engineering, waveforms are often represented as sinusoidal functions, and the phase shift quantifies how much one waveform is leading or lagging behind another. This is expressed in degrees or radians. For example, if one waveform reaches its peak point before another, it has a positive phase shift, indicating it is leading in phase; conversely, if it arrives after, it has a negative phase shift, indicating it is lagging.

This concept is crucial in various applications, such as in AC circuit analysis, where voltage and current waveforms can be out of phase due to reactance in components like capacitors and inductors. Understanding phase relationship helps in power factor correction and impedance matching in circuits.

The other choices cover different aspects of waveform behavior—time delay focuses on temporal differences, frequency pertains to how many cycles occur in a given time, and amplitude difference relates to signal strength. While these concepts are relevant in the analysis of electrical signals, they do not specifically define what a phase shift entails.