Final answer:
The peak current of the circuit, given by i(t) = 5 cos t + 5 sin t, is calculated using the trigonometric identity to combine sine and cosine terms. The peak current is found to be the square root of 50 Amperes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asked to determine the peak current for an alternating current circuit whose current is given by the equation i(t) = 5 cos t + 5 sin t. To find the peak current, we need to express this equation in the form of i(t) = I0 sin(ωt + φ), where I0 is the peak current. We can do this by using trigonometric identities to combine the sine and cosine terms into a single sine term with an amplitude that represents the peak current.
First, we recognize that both sine and cosine terms have the same coefficient (5 in this case), so we can use the trigonometric identity which allows us to write A cos t + B sin t = R sin(t + φ), where R = √(A2 + B2) and φ is the phase angle such that tan(φ) = B/A. For our equation, A = B = 5, hence R = √(52 + 52) = √50. The peak current, I0, is therefore √50 Amperes, which is the largest magnitude of current the circuit will experience.