whats the difference between alternating curent and direct curent.?

Answer 1

Direct current always flows in the same direction,Alternating currentflows forward and backward , reversing itself periodically.

Answer 2

AC current ( Alternating current ) has a value that is constantly changing. It starts from zero, then starts rising and reaches a peak value and then starts declining, reaches zero again and again starts rising, but in oppsite direction, again after reaching a peak in opposite direction, goes down to zero and start rising and so on. A cycle in which current has three zero values and two peaks in opposite direction is called frequency of the current and has unit name called Hertz. In North America the Electrical power has frequency of 60 Hertz per second. It means the current will undergo the cycle of 3 zeros and 2 peaks in opposite direction 60 times in a second. So things happen so rapidaly that your eyes can not detect there is any change taking place in the value of current. Since the value of AC voltage ( or current ) is constantly changing within 2 peaks, an avarage value called rms ( root mean square ) is assigned to a voltge or current. For example, in North America house hold voltage is 120 V , it means this is an avarage value, its peak value will be 1.4 times 120 V ( there is a theory behind the figure 1.4, no need to go in to that here ). DC current ( direct current ) flows only in one dirction and its value remains constant over a period of time. AC system is very easy to handle. Its voltage can be stepped up or stepped down with help of transformer. That is why it is used everywhere. DC system has restricted uses, such as battery or Electronic equipment.

Answer 3

electricity flows in 2 ways:either alternating current or ACand in direct current or DC.the word electricity comes from the fact that current is nothing more that moving electronsalong a conductor,like a wire have been harnessed for energy.therefore,the difference between AC and DChas to do with the direction in witch the electron flows.in DC the electrons flows steadely in a single direction ,or "forward" in AC electrons keep switcing directions ,sometimes going "forwards" and then going "backwards" the power that comes from our wall outlets is AC,the more common ,efficient kind

Answer 4

AC is the kind of electricity you have in your home, the kind with plugs in the wall.

DC is battery power.

direct current always flows in one direction, like a circle. a circuit. that's why batteries have a positive and negative end, and they have to be put in correctly.
alternating current is kinda crazy actually, even though we use it every day. to make the circuit, the electricity switches direction many times a second, first the electricity flows one way, from the power plant to the wall to your device, then, a split second later, it flows the other way. it has to do this because it still has to be a circle, a circuit. but it saves on the wiring. so you have one wire going into your house, instead of one for the way in and one for the way out.

AC is better for homes because it's far easier and safer to transmit long distances.

Answer 5

With direct current the voltage (driving force) is constant with respect to time. With alternating current the voltage varies from a positive to a negative value and back, usually described by a sine wave.

Answer 6

AC current is a specific type of electric current in which the direction of the current's flow is reversed, or alternated, on a regular basis. Direct current is no different electrically from alternating current except for the fact that it flows in the same direction at all times. Alternating current was chosen early in the 20th century as the North American standard because it presented fewer risks and promised higher reliability than competing DC systems of the day. Many of DC's deficiencies were later corrected, but not until a substantial North American infrastructure had already been developed. DC is the European standard.

Electric power distribution requires a circuit, usually represented as two wires leading to a device that uses electricity. In AC current, one wire is negative and the other is either is positive or neutral (ground). The two wires take turns at sending electricity. In North America, AC current uses a standard "rhythm" in which each side gets its turn 60 times each second, thus the 60Hz designation given to standard AC current. This switching of polarity takes the form of a rhythmic pulse in the electrical current that occurs within the normal audible range. This is why you can actually hear this rhythm in circuits such as fluorescent lighting ballasts and audio equipment as a low buzzing tone. This buzz is referred to as "sixty cycle hum". Prior to the 1970s, two AC power schemes were used in North America. One offered energy at 45-50Hz, the other at 60Hz. "Fifty-cycle power", occasionally referred to as "rural power", is now obsolete and the 60Hz standard is now used throughout North America.

In DC circuits, the electricity is always the same polarity, which means that in a two-wire circuit, one "wire", or side of the circuit, is always negative, and the negative side is always the one that sends the electricity. There is no hum because there is no cyclic change in current flow. DC current is more effective for long-distance, high-voltage transmission because it results in less energy lost in transmission, but the cost of converting DC current to AC is relatively high, so DC is typically cost-effective only for long-distance transmission.

Electrical devices that convert electricity directly into other forms of energy can operate just as effectively from AC current as from DC. Lightbulbs and heating elements don't care whether their energy is supplied by AC or DC current. However, nearly all modern electronic devices require direct current for their operation. Alternating current is still used to deliver electricity to the device, and a transformer is included with these devices to convert AC power to DC power (usually at much lower than the supplied voltage) so that electronic devices can use it.

Also check this out,
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/power/ext/basicsACDC-c.html

Answer 7

alternating current an electric current that regularly everses direction while direct current is an electrical current that flows in only one direction and has a fairly constant average value.

Answer 8

Since the people before me answered your question, let me ask you, what does your question have to do with Geography?