What Are the Most Common Applications for AC Current?
The most common applications for alternating (AC) current are in producing and transporting electricity. Nearly every home around the world is powered through the benefit of AC current, as opposed to direct current (DC), which is used in batteries. The use of this type of current over DC current is mainly because of issues involving cost, power loss, and conversion issues from higher voltage to lower voltage. Before explaining why these uses for AC current are the most common, it is necessary to understand a little about this type of electricity. These currents are created by rotating a magnet around wire coils that remain still. As one end of the magnet is positive and one is negative, it causes the coils to produce an electric wave. The frequency of this wave varies, but is between 50 and 60 times a minute for most power generators.
