What is the difference between AC and DC currents?

Alternating Current (AC)

Alternating current describes the flow of charge that changes direction periodically. As a result, the voltage level also reverses along with the current. AC is used to deliver power to houses, office buildings, etc.

Generating AC

AC can be produced using a device called an alternator. This device is a special type of A loop of wire is spun inside of a magnetic field, which induces a current The rotation of the wire can come from any number of means: a wind turbine, a steam turbine, flowing water, and so on.Because the wire spins and enters a different magnetic polarity periodically, the voltage and current alternates on the wire. 

Here is a short animation showing this principle:

                             

Generating AC can be compared to our previous water analogy:

To generate AC in a set of water pipes, we connect a mechanical crank to a piston that moves water in the pipes back and forth (our “alternating” current).Notice that the pinched section of pipe still provides resistance to the flow of water regardless of the direction of flow.Waveforms

AC can come in a number of forms, as long as the voltage and current are alternating.If we hook up an oscilloscope to a circuit with AC and plot its voltage over time, we might see a number of different waveforms. The most common type of AC is the sine wave.The AC in most homes and offices have an oscillating voltage that produces a sine wave.

Other common forms of AC include the square wave and the triangle wave:Square waves are often used in digital and switching electronics to test their operation.Triangle waves are found in sound synthesis and are useful for testing linear electronics like amplifiers.

Describing a Sine Wave

We often want to describe an AC waveform in mathematical terms. For this example, we will use the common sine wave. There are three parts to a sine wave: amplitude, frequency, and phase.

Looking at just voltage, we can describe a sine wave as the mathematical V(t) is our voltage as a function of time, which means that our voltage changes as time changes. The equation to the right of the equals sign describes how the voltage changes over time.VP is the amplitude. This describes the maximum voltage that our sine wave can reach in either direction, meaning that our voltage can be +VP volts, -VP.The sin() function indicates that our voltage will be in the form of a periodic sine wave, which is a smooth oscillation around 0V.2π is a constant that converts the angular (radians per second).f describes the frequency of the sine wave. 

This is given in the form of Hertz or units per second.The frequency tells how many times a particular is our dependent variable: time (measured in seconds). As time varies, our waveform varies.φ describes the phase of the sine wave. Phase is a measure of how shifted the waveform is with respect to time. It is often given as a number between 0 and 360 and measured in degrees. Because of the periodic nature of the sine wave, if the wave form is shifted by 360° it becomes the same waveform again, as if it was shifted by 0°. For simplicity, we still assume that phase is 0° for the rest of this tutorial.

Home and office outlets are almost always AC. This is because generating and transporting AC across long distances is relatively easy. At high voltages (over 110kV), less energy is lost in electrical power transmission. Higher voltages mean lower currents, and lower currents mean less heat generated in the power line due to resistance. AC can be converted to and from high voltages easily using transformers.

AC is also capable of powering electric motors. Motors and generators are the exact same device, but motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy (if the shaft on a motor is spun, a voltage is generated at the terminals!). This is useful for many large appliances like dishwashers, refrigerators, and so on, which run on AC.

Direct Current (DC)

Direct current is a bit easier to understand than alternating current. Rather than oscillating back and forth, DC provides a constant voltage or current.

Generating DC

DC can be generated in a number of ways:

An AC generator equipped with a device called a “commutator” can produce direct current

Use of a device called a “rectifier” that converts AC to DC

Batteries provide DC, which is generated from a chemical reaction inside of the battery

Using our water analogy again, DC is similar to a tank of water with a hose at the end.

The tank can only push water one way: out the hose. Similar to our DC-producing battery, once the tank is empty, water no longer flows through the pipes.

Describing DC

DC is defined as the “unidirectional” flow of current; current only flows in one direction.
Voltage and current can vary over time so long as the direction of flow does not change. 

To simplify things, we will assume that voltage is a constant.
For example, we assume that a AA battery provides 1.5V, which can be described in mathematical terms as:
If we plot this over time, we see a constant voltage:
What does this mean? It means that we can count on most DC sources to provide a constant voltage over time. In reality, a battery will slowly lose its charge, meaning that the voltage will drop as the battery is used. For most purposes, we can assume that the voltage is constant.

Applications

Almost all electronics projects and parts for sale on SparkFun run on DC. Everything that runs off of a battery, plugs in to the wall with an AC adapter, or uses a USB cable for power relies on DC. Examples of DC electronics include:

1. Cell phones
2. The LilyPad-based D&D Dice Gauntlet
3. Flat-screen TVs (AC goes into the TV, which is converted to DC)
4. Flashlights
5. Hybrid and electric vehicles

Battle of the Currents

Almost every home and business is wired for AC. However, this was not an overnight decision. In the late 1880s, a variety of inventions across the United States and Europe led to a full-scale battle between alternating current and direct current distribution.

In 1886, Ganz Works, an electric company located in Budapest, electrified all of Rome with AC. Thomas Edison, on the other hand, had constructed 121 DC power stations in the United States by 1887. A turning point in the battle came when George Westinghouse, a famous industrialist from Pittsburg, purchased Nikola Tesla’s patents for AC motors and transmission the next year.

AC vs. DC

Thomas Edison (Image courtesy of biography.com)

In the late 1800s, DC could not be easily converted to high voltages. As a result, Edison proposed a system of small, local power plants that would power individual neighborhoods or city sections.

Power was distributed using three wires from the power plant: +110 volts, 0 volts, and -110 volts. Lights and motors could be connected between either the +110V or 110V socket and 0V (neutral). 110V allowed for some voltage drop between the plant and the load (home, office, etc.).Even though the voltage drop across the power lines was accounted for, power plants needed to be located within 1 mile of the end user. This limitation made power distribution in rural areas extremely difficult, if not impossible.

George Westinghouse (Image courtesy of pbs.org)

With Tesla’s patents, Westinghouse worked to perfect the AC distribution system. Transformers provided an inexpensive method to step up the voltage of AC to several thousand volts and back down to usable levels. At higher voltages, the same power could be transmitted at much lower current, which meant less power lost due to resistance in the wires. As a result, large power plants could be located many miles away and service a greater number of people and buildings.