What is the difference between AC current and DC current?
Electricity flows in two ways, either in alternating current (AC) or in direct current (DC). The word electricity comes from the fact that current is nothing more than electrons moving along a conductor, like a wire, that have been harnessed for energy. The difference between AC and DC has to do with the direction in which the electrons flow. In DC, the electrons flow steadily in a single direction, or “forward.” In AC, electrons keep switching directions, sometimes going “forwards” and then going “backwards.” The power that comes from wall outlets is AC. Electricity is a very different energy source than heat or light. In nature, electricity only rarely occurs, in some animals or with lightning. In the search to create electrical energy, scientists discovered that electrical and magnetic fields are related. A magnetic field near a wire causes electrons to flow in a single direction along the wire because they are repelled and attracted by the north or south poles. Thus, DC power from
