Another way to describe peak-to-peak amplitude is to say that it is the distance between the maximum positive value and the maximum negative value of a wave . For an asymmetric wave ( periodic pulses in one direction , for example ) , the peak amplitude becomes ambiguous . This is because the value is different depending on whether the maximum positive signal is measured relative to the mean , the maximum negative signal is measured relative to the mean , or the maximum positive signal is measured relative to the maximum negative signal ( the peak-to-peak amplitude ) and then divided by two .