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What Is AC Current

Alternating current periodically reverses direction and changes magnitude over time, unlike direct current which only flows in one direction. AC is the form of electric power delivered to homes and businesses and used by appliances plugged into walls. The usual waveform of AC in power circuits is a sine wave.

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14 views1 page

What Is AC Current

Alternating current periodically reverses direction and changes magnitude over time, unlike direct current which only flows in one direction. AC is the form of electric power delivered to homes and businesses and used by appliances plugged into walls. The usual waveform of AC in power circuits is a sine wave.

Uploaded by

Maha Bala
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses

direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time, in contrast to direct
current (DC), which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in
which electric power is delivered to businesses and residences, and it is the form
of electrical energy that consumers typically use when they plug kitchen
appliances, televisions, fans and electric lamps into a wall socket. A common
source of DC power is a battery cell in a flashlight. The abbreviations AC and DC
are often used to mean simply alternating and direct, respectively, as when they
modify current or voltage.[1][2]

The usual waveform of alternating current in most electric power circuits is a sine
wave, whose positive half-period corresponds with positive direction of the current
and vice versa (the full period is called a cycle). In certain applications, like
guitar amplifiers, different waveforms are used, such as triangular waves or square
waves. Audio and radio signals carried on electrical wires are also examples of
alternating current. These types of alternating current carry information such as
sound (audio) or images (video) sometimes carried by modulation of an AC carrier
signal. These currents typically alternate at higher frequencies than those used in
power transmission.

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