Of course. Cellphones, flashlights, car-starters, trolling motors, mp3 players,
portable radios, and hand-held GPS receivers work fine without plugging into
an outlet. They are powered by chemical cells popularly known as "batteries".
No, an outlet is only a distribution point. A source of electrical energy would be the generation station, wind generator, photovoltaic cells (solar energy panels) or other devices that actually produce electrical energy by changing energy from one type (chemical, solar...) to another.
The definition of an outlet in Article 100 of the National Electrical Code book (US) is: "Outlet. A point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment." You can have a receptacle outlet, lighting outlet, or some other hardwired equipment outlet. <<>> The definition of an outlet in Section 0 (Object, Scope and Definitions) of the Canadian Electrical Code book is: "Outlet. A point in the wiring installation at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment."
One is AC and the other is DC. AC- alternating current is used in electrical outlets DC- direct current is used in batteries. An electrical outlet in your house would have 120 volts (the ones you use most, your tv, lights, radio are plugged into) or 240 volts (the ones your stove and dryer plug into). A battery voltage varies widely: AA & AAA batteries have 1.5 volts, a 9 volt battery has 9 volts, your car battery has 12 volts.
A flow of electrons is needed to have a current. And there (usually) must be a complete circuit. And you need a voltage to make the current move around your circuit. All tied up in Ohms Law - which I'll leave to you.
An energy source commonly used for DC current is a battery. A battery generates direct current through a chemical reaction, providing a steady flow of electrons in one direction. Other sources such as solar panels can also produce DC current by converting sunlight into electrical energy.
The definition of an outlet in Article 100 of the National Electrical Code book (US) is: "Outlet. A point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment." You can have a receptacle outlet, lighting outlet, or some other hardwired equipment outlet. <<>> The definition of an outlet in Section 0 (Object, Scope and Definitions) of the Canadian Electrical Code book is: "Outlet. A point in the wiring installation at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment."
No, an outlet is only a distribution point. A source of electrical energy would be the generation station, wind generator, photovoltaic cells (solar energy panels) or other devices that actually produce electrical energy by changing energy from one type (chemical, solar...) to another.
The definition of an outlet in Article 100 of the National Electrical Code book (US) is: "Outlet. A point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment." You can have a receptacle outlet, lighting outlet, or some other hardwired equipment outlet. <<>> The definition of an outlet in Section 0 (Object, Scope and Definitions) of the Canadian Electrical Code book is: "Outlet. A point in the wiring installation at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment."
One is AC and the other is DC. AC- alternating current is used in electrical outlets DC- direct current is used in batteries. An electrical outlet in your house would have 120 volts (the ones you use most, your tv, lights, radio are plugged into) or 240 volts (the ones your stove and dryer plug into). A battery voltage varies widely: AA & AAA batteries have 1.5 volts, a 9 volt battery has 9 volts, your car battery has 12 volts.
Current is created when electrical charges move through a wire or other conductor. It can be produced by rotating magnetic fields (as in a generator) or by connecting a source of higher electrical potential (charge) to one of lower electrical potential, which can cause the movement of charges from one point to another.
Basically, one option - for providing energy to a circuit - is a cell or battery; the other option is to connect the circuit to an electrical outlet. With a cell, the current will be DC; with an electrical outlet, it will be AC (alternating current, that is, the direction of the current changes several times per second). You should also keep in mind the voltage - household current has a fairly high voltage (110 or 220 volts), compared to a cell (typically around 1.5 volts) or even a car battery (usually 12 volts).
In the United States, if the outlet is polarized (one slot is larger than the other), the smaller slot is the positive, or hot, assuming it is wired correctly.Another PerspectiveThe above answer is correct in that there is a "hot" and a "neutral", but technically, if you are asking about true polarity, there is no positive and no negative in a housing or commercial outlet. Utility power service is referred to as "alternating current", meaning that the true polarity of an outlet reverses 60 times per second, with one side temporarily being positive and the other negative.If you are trying to use "direct current", you will need to use some kind of diode or rectifier to change the alternating current to direct current.
Yes, and electrical current is the flow of electrons OR any other charged particle.
A flow of electrons is needed to have a current. And there (usually) must be a complete circuit. And you need a voltage to make the current move around your circuit. All tied up in Ohms Law - which I'll leave to you.
A 120 V outlet is the standard residential and commercial electrical outlet for North America. When additional electrical power is needed, other outlet options are available, but typically, one or more duplex (meaning double, or two outlets) receptacle is installed in every residential and commercial room.
Technically, you are speaking about the delivery of current. Electricity is one type of current. The current has two differences: The current from batteries has a much lower voltage, and it is DC, while the electricity from the electrical plug is AC. Devices that use current have to be adapted to these two situations. Some devices are only battery powered, e.g. flashlight. Other devices have internal mechanisms to switch the power current between battery and electrical outlet, e.g. a laptop.
Advantages of electric current : This is the energy source which can be easily converted into other energies like heat, mechanical, light etc very easily. Very convenient to use and environment friendly as no pollution is caused by its use at the consumer end. Disadvantage: It can sometime prove fatal and its transmission lines used to carry current looks ugly