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Alternating current (AC) is widely used for power generation and transportation due to its lower cost, ease of manufacturing, and lower risk of fire compared to direct current (DC). AC is also preferred for short- to medium-range distances and can be stepped down for safe use in homes through transformers.
The most common applications for alternating current (AC) are in the generation and transportation of electricity. Almost every home in the world is powered by alternating current, as opposed to the direct current (DC), used in batteries. The use of this type of current over DC is mainly due to problems involving cost, power loss and problems converting from a higher voltage to a lower voltage.
Before explaining why these uses for alternating 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 coils of wire that remain stationary. Since one end of the magnet is positive and the other is negative, it causes the coils to produce an electric wave. The frequency of this wave varies, but is between 50 and 60 times per minute for most power generators.
AC is very popular for power generation because the machines to generate AC power are much less expensive and easier to manufacture than those associated with DC. In addition, direct current can produce a large amount of heat and even reach flash points, which means that the possibility of fire is greater than that of alternating current. For these reasons, most of the electricity that is generated is with AC technology.
While this advantage alone may be reason enough to use AC for power generation, AC is also the preferred method for transportation over short- to medium-range distances, such as those less than 500 miles (about 800 km ). Current moves well through lines with minimal power losses over most distances on a grid. Thus, the voltage remains much more stable than that of DC current over this period and is also more efficient when it comes to conversion. To get the same amount of voltage using DC current to a final destination involving greater distances, the voltage at the origin would have to be much higher.
The other application for alternating current involves stepping down the voltage for use in homes and other applications. This is done with the use of a transformer where one inductive coil is used to transfer power to another inductive coil. This process, depending on how it is done, can either increase or decrease the voltage. In case of home use, the voltage must be reduced from high to low voltage so that it can be used safely by the electrical devices inside the house. Another smaller transformer may be at the home or building site for further voltage reduction.
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