PRINCIPLES OF

ALTERNATING CURRENT

BY: REKHNOR S. MAGBANUA

 
What Is AC Current or Alternating Current?
• From the word alternate which means occurring or succeeding by
turns.
 
• Alternating current which means an electric current that reverses
its direction many times a second at regular intervals.
FATHER OF ELECTRICITY

• he Father of Electricity, Michael Faraday was born on September 22,

in 1791. The English scientist, who is responsible for the discovery of
electromagnetic induction, electrolysis and diamagnetism, hailed
from a poor family of a blacksmith. Due to weak financial support,
Faraday only received basic education.
An alternating voltage or current is usually defined as a voltage
or current that changes on Strength according to a sine curve.
• An alternating voltage reverses its polarity on each alternation, and an
alternating current reverses its direction of flow on each alternation.
Electricians usually speak of AC voltage and AC current. An AC
generator is commonly called an alternator. The point of maximum
voltage occurs at 90 degree and it is also called the crest voltage or
peak voltage of the sine curve.
Frequency
• The frequency of an AC voltage of current is its number of cycles per
second. For example, electricity supplied by the public utility
companies in the United States has a frequency of 60 cycles per
second (60cps). Electricians sometimes call cycle per second by the
newer name, hertz. Thus, 60 cycles per second is the same as 60 hertz
(60 Hz).
Instantaneous and Effective Voltages

• An instantaneous voltage is the value of an AC voltage at a particular

instant. For example, the maximum voltage shown in next Figure is an
instantaneous voltage; the positive maximum voltage occurs at 90◦,
and the negative maximum voltage occurs at 270◦. Electricians
generally consider that the most important instantaneous AC voltages
are the maximum (crest or peak) voltage and the effective voltage.
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