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  2. Alternating current - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_current

    The usual waveform of alternating current in most electric power circuits is a sine wave, whose positive half-period corresponds with positive direction of the current and vice versa (the full period is called a cycle). "Alternating current" most commonly refers to power distribution, but a wide range of other applications are technically ...

  3. AC power - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power

    In a simple alternating current (AC) circuit consisting of a source and a linear time-invariant load, both the current and voltage are sinusoidal at the same frequency. [3] If the load is purely resistive, the two quantities reverse their polarity at the same time. Hence, the instantaneous power, given by the product of voltage and current, is ...

  4. Polyphase system - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphase_system

    One voltage cycle of a three-phase system. A polyphase system (the term coined by Silvanus Thompson) is a means of distributing alternating-current (AC) electrical power that utilizes more than one AC phase, which refers to the phase offset value (in degrees) between AC in multiple conducting wires; phases may also refer to the corresponding terminals and conductors, as in color codes.

  5. 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]

  6. Skin effect - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect

    For alternating current, current density decreases exponentially from the surface towards the inside. Skin depth, δ, is defined as the depth where the current density is just 1/e (about 37%) of the value at the surface; it depends on the frequency of the current and the electrical and magnetic properties of the conductor.

  7. DIAC - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diac

    Once the voltage exceeds the turn-on threshold, the device turns on and the voltage rapidly falls while the current increases. A silicon diode for alternating current (SIDAC) is a less commonly used device, electrically similar to the DIAC, but having, in general, a higher breakover voltage and greater current handling capacity. [citation needed]

  8. Two-phase electric power - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-phase_electric_power

    Two-phase electrical power was an early 20th-century polyphase alternating current electric power distribution system. Two circuits were used, with voltage phases differing by one-quarter of a cycle, 90°. Usually circuits used four wires, two for each phase. Less frequently, three wires were used, with a common wire with a larger-diameter ...

  9. Leading and lagging current - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_and_Lagging_Current

    Angle notation can easily describe leading and lagging current: . [1] In this equation, the value of theta is the important factor for leading and lagging current. As mentioned in the introduction above, leading or lagging current represents a time shift between the current and voltage sine curves, which is represented by the angle by which the curve is ahead or behind of where it would be ...