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Alternating Current can be defined as the flow of charge wherein the charge is said to be changing its position periodically, thus resulting in the reversing of the voltage levels with the current. AC is used over DC in our houses and official buildings because it is less hazardous and can be easily transferred within long distances. It is also present in radio and audio signals when they are carried on electrical wires, and the principle of alternating current adds to the list of advantages of AC.
Principles of Alternating Current
A device called an alternator is used to produce alternating current. It is a unique and different type of electric generator that is designed to produce alternating currents. A loop of wire is taken, and to induce current along this loop of wire, it is spun to the inside of a magnetic field. The wire can be rotated through any means because the wire spins and enters the magnetic polarity periodically, thus leading to the alternating voltage and current.
The process of generating an Alternating Current can be compared with the water analogy. To generate AC in a set of water pipes, a mechanical crank is connected with a piston which leads to the back and forth movement of water in the pipe, just like the way it happens in an alternating current where the charge changes its position periodically.
How alternating current can be used in daily lives
Alternating current is majorly used in homes and office outlets because it is much safer when compared to DC. It is also very easy to generate and transport AC across long-distance areas with a very less amount of energy loss in electric power transmission. It can be converted from and to high voltages using transformers. AC is also used for electric power motors, and both the motors as well as the generators are the same, but motors can convert electrical energy to mechanical energy. Moreover, it is very useful in large appliances such as refrigerators and dishwashers, which run on AC.
The battle between AC and DC
AC is used in every household and official building. The division between both of them was taken in the 1880s because of the ongoing battle between AC and DC currents distribution at that time. Later, in 1886, there was a major turning point in this battle, which led to this change in the use of AC instead of DC in the households and the offices because of the disadvantages of DC. Some of them are: both DC switches and the circuit breakers are quite expensive, and the amplitude of the DC voltage can not be changed, which means that we cannot step it up or down according to our choice. It also causes heating issues and has a high cost of transmission since it requires equipment such as rectifiers and inverters. DC is hazardous when compared to A and is not suited for transferring to long distances.
Advantages of AC
- The process of generating an Alternating current is much easier than that of a Direct Current.
- Alternating current is much cheaper than DC.
- DC cannot be transmitted using step-up transformers, whereas AC can be transmitted using this method.
- in the case of AC, energy loss is almost negligible during transmission
- AC generators have much higher efficiency than DC.
- With the help of a choke coil, the magnitude of AC can be very easily decreased without any energy loss.
- AC can be converted into DC very easily.
AC v/s DC
AC | DC |
It is recommended while transferring over long distances as it is considered safe. | It is not recommended for transferring over long distances. |
It maintains electric power while transferring to long distances. | It tends to lose electric power while transferring over long distances. |
It is generated by an alternator. | It is generated by generators, batteries, and photovoltaic cells. |
The frequency varies in different countries. | The frequency is zero. |
Application-based on principles of Alternating current
It can be seen in the following examples of alternating current:
In Electrical appliances, such as Motors, fans, bulbs, current supplied in our home sockets.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed AC and the principles of Alternating current in brief. AC is the abbreviation for Alternating current; it is used over Direct current in our houses and offices because of its benefits, such as it is less hazardous and can be easily transferred within long areas. We also concluded that to generate AC in a set of water pipes, a mechanical crank is connected with a piston which leads to the back and forth movement of water in the pipe, just like the way it happens in an alternating current where the charge changes its position periodically.
