Ever wonder how the Aussie band AC/DC got their name? Or what makes it possible for them to ROCK and ROLL?
There are two types of current flow in a circuit: Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC).
Have you ever sat down and looked over at your desk lamp and thought, “how does the light come on?” Well, just like every home and office, AC power comes in through the power lines to your home and is what is available to p
ower outlets. AC stands for Alternating Current. Your lamp is being powered by AC because of the direction of the flow of electrons. There is a rotating magnet along the wire which causes the electrons to keep switching directions forward and backward. Also, the amount of energy that can be carried through alternating current is easy and also economical to transfer over longer distances and provides more power.
For example: here’s your power plant. It can yield 1 million watts of power. How does this work? Well there’s a way to transfer that power and it would be to send 1 million amps at 1 volt. Another way is to transfer 1 amp at 1 million volts. By sending 1 amp, there isn’t a lot of power being lost due to heat during this conversion because it involves a much thinner wire. Sending 1 million amps would mean a much larger wire.
Now that we went over the first half of the band, let me explain the half that puts them together – DC. Which stands for Direct Current. DC can be described when the flow in the circuit can only move one way. This is for the reason that there is a steady magnetism along the wire, which explains why the flow of electrons can only go in one direction.
Here’s an example – let me ask you this, do you enjoy reading your book with a flashlight? Or maybe you have a hybrid vehicle? I know some people who do. If you feel as though you may be one of those people, you would be considered a consumer of DC power. Why? Flashlights use batteries which provide negative and positive terminals. The current cannot travel far until it begins losing energy.
Pretty interesting huh? Now you know what makes it possible for AC/DC to ROCK AND ROLL!!!!!!