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  2. Alternating current - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_current

    e. Alternating current (AC) is an electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time, in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in which electric power is delivered to businesses and residences, and it is the form of electrical ...

  3. AC motor - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_motor

    An industrial type of AC motor with electrical terminal box at the top and output rotating shaft on the left. Such motors are widely used for pumps, blowers, conveyors and other industrial machinery. An AC motor is an electric motor driven by an alternating current (AC). The AC motor commonly consists of two basic parts, an outside stator ...

  4. Three-phase electric power - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-phase_electric_power

    Three-phase transformer with four-wire output for 208Y/120 volt service: one wire for neutral, others for A, B and C phases. Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3ϕ[1]) is a common type of alternating current (AC) used in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. [2] It is a type of polyphase system employing three wires (or ...

  5. AC power - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power

    In an electric circuit, instantaneous power is the time rate of flow of energy past a given point of the circuit. In alternating current circuits, energy storage elements such as inductors and capacitors may result in periodic reversals of the direction of energy flow. Its SI unit is the watt.

  6. Alternator - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternator

    In what is considered the first industrial use of alternating current in 1891, workers pose with a Westinghouse alternator at the Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant.This machine was used as a generator producing 3,000-volt, 133-hertz, single-phase AC, and an identical machine 3 miles (4.8 km) away was used as an AC motor.

  7. Polyphase system - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphase_system

    Polyphase systems are particularly useful for transmitting power to electric motors which rely on alternating current to rotate. Three-phase power is used for industrial applications and for power transmission. Compared to a single-phase, two-wire system, a three-phase three-wire system transmits three times as much power for the same conductor ...

  8. Electric generator - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_generator

    In electricity generation, a generator[1] is a device that converts motion-based power (potential and kinetic energy) or fuel-based power (chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, gas turbines, water turbines, internal combustion engines, wind turbines and even ...

  9. Single-phase generator - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-phase_generator

    Single-phase generator (also known as single-phase alternator) is an alternating current electrical generator that produces a single, continuously alternating voltage. Single-phase generators can be used to generate power in single-phase electric power systems. However, polyphase generators are generally used to deliver power in three-phase ...