Why is alternating current used to supply power to homes and industry?

Answer 1

Alternating current is preferred mainly because electrical power for homes and industry is often used many miles away from the power station. Cables of the power distribution network have electrical resistance to current flow and they heat up thus wasting energy. Reducing the waste heat to a minimum is done by keeping the transmitted current to a minimum since POWER in Watts= Current (I) x Voltage (V).

Hopefully you can see that the same power can be transmitted by upping the voltage and lowering the current using this formula

This trick is done using a 'step up' transformer, these installations can be up to 99 % efficient but can only work with currents that are constantly changing polarity. Alternating current is produced in the power station using 'alternators' by rotating magnets past coils of wire.

Note

Alternating current seems to be pointless, it's like taking a step forward and immediately taking one step back. In practice it is like making fire by rubbing a wooden rod backwards and forwards between your hands:- you still make heat!

By the way Thomas Edison had big problems in understanding AC, so you are not alone.

Once the power has been transmitted across country at 300,000 volts for example it is finally reduced in pressure in stages through a series of 'Step down' Transformers.

These devices make a constant humming noise and can be seen attached to wooden poles feeding remote farms and houses.

It is not possible to do this with direct current (DC) as Edison found out when he tried to send his DC to houses a mile away from his first power station. By the time it reached his customers the voltage had dropped and the lights were dim.

A Serbian engineer called Nicola Tesla tried to convince Edison to try using AC but was subsequently fired. Tesla realized that AC was the future and teamed up with Westinghouse in the USA and Ferranti in the UK.

If you want to know how transformers work see Michael Faraday.

Answer 2

This has to do with the transmission of electricity. The power company supplies power in AC, rather than DC, because they can transmit electricity much further distances using AC. This enables the power company to build power plants in remote locations, rather than having to build them right in your neighborhood. BESIDE TRANSMISIION THERE IS A FACT OF DISTRIBUTION TRANSMISSION IS 500KV DISTRIBUTION IS 16KV. WITH DC IT WOULD BE CONVERTED SOME WHAT MUCH LESS EFFICIENT. By using ac we can step up or step down the voltage as per requirement.

Answer 3

There are a few reasons.

1) Easier to generate (by rotating a standard engine)

2) Stable clock rate (usable by devices to keep track of time)

3) Easy to transform (into higher or lower voltage)

4) Easy to change into direct current (e.g. diode bridge)

5) AC power can be carried long distances by increasing the voltage and lowering the current. Early electrical distribution did not have the technology to efficiently change AC to DC and back again.

---

It's much easier to generate alternating current (AC) from mechanical generators. In fact, to generate direct current (DC) from turbines, it is necessary to generate AC and then convert it to DC.

It's easier to design powerful motors using AC. Industrial systems often use 3 phase electricity where three separate currents are sent with the phase of each current 120o from the next.

It's much easier to change voltages with an alternating current; standard transformers only work with alternating current. Electrical power is usually distributed around the country at very high voltages (as this is more efficient) and then reduced to "domestic" voltage levels at substations. This system would not be possible with DC.

Answer 4

Albert Einstein had an argument saying that it would be better to use Direct Current (DC) and even created an experiment making an electronic chair, but another scientist said using Alternating Current (AC) was better . This was both for the use of supplying electricity to homes through cables and the governments decided to use AC this is because it can travel quicker through light wires. Recently it has been discovered that Einstein probably was right and using DC would have been better but that it would cost to much to change all of the electronic cables.

Answer 5

A long story really! Albert Einstein had an argument saying that it would be better to use Direct Current (DC) and even created an experiment making an electronic chair, but another scientist said using Alternating Current (AC) was better . This was both for the use of supplying electricity to homes through cables and the governments decided to use AC this is because it can travel quicker throught light wires. Recently it has been discovered that Einstein probaly was right and using DC would have been better but that it would cost to much to change all of the electronic cables. And there is your long answer to your question!!!

Answer 6

Because A.C. can go farther without dissipating as heat. Much easier to change from low to high voltage and back down.

Answer

Alternating current is widely used because its voltage can be easily and efficiently increased or decreased using transformers. Transformers are a.c. machines, and will not work with d.c.

For this reason, most transmission systems use a.c. However, d.c. transmission has less losses than a.c. transmission, but is more expensive (its high voltage is achieved by transforming a.c. to a high voltage then rectifying it -the extra equipment making it expensive). However, for very long transmission lines, the expense is worth it because the line losses are lower.

Answer 7

The advantage of using AC instead of DC in our homes is that AC electricity can be carried over long distances because the voltage can be stepped up easily during transit and then stepped down at the point of use while DC electricity can not easily be converted like that. This means that DC needs to be produced close to the point of use.

If we had DC electricity supplying our homes, we would have to have a power plant every few miles. AC electricity, on the other hand, can be produced in a power plant that is hundreds of miles away.

Answer 8

u need to suck it