• Question: what is the difference beetween AC and DC AC/DC

    Asked by sevty5 to Louise, Michaela, Sian, Steve, Yvette on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Sian Harding

      Sian Harding answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      AC is alternating current (like the mains) DC is direct (like chargers or batteries) and AC/DC is a rather good rock group

    • Photo: Steven Kiddle

      Steven Kiddle answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      AC is alernating current, that is the current rapidly goes between positive and negative. This is the kind of electricity generated by turbines in most power plants. DC is direct current, it always has positive current. Different circuits are made to run on each, but AC can be converted to DC (and back again).

      AC/DC are a great rock band!

    • Photo: Michaela Livingstone

      Michaela Livingstone answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Well, AC is a type of electricity, the type that comes out the wall (main sockets) and AC/DC are a classic Australian rock band… 😛

      AC stands for alternating current, so the direction that the electrons in the stream of electricity change direction all the time, and DC stands for direct current, so the electrons always travelling in the same direction. That’s all I really know, been a while since I did electronics!

    • Photo: Louise Johnson

      Louise Johnson answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Alternating current is like what comes out of the mains – the electrical charge changes direction (50 times a second in the UK) so you don’t have + and – plug pins, just live and neutral. Direct current flows only in one direction, like when you use a battery.

      AC/DC is a band 😉 or something written on electrical goods to let you know it’s safe to use either kind of current.

    • Photo: Yvette Wilson

      Yvette Wilson answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      …I’m beginning to fear your questions 🙂 I haven’t thought much about electricity for 10 years now. I know that AC is alternating current – normally produced by rotating a magnet near a conducting material so that the electrons change directions depending on the polarity of the magnet. DC is direct current – the electrons flow in one direction due to either a magnet or chemical reactions in a battery. I’m not sure about AC/DC. I don’t think you should completely trust my answer on this.

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