alternating current

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al·ter·nat·ing current

(ôl′tər-nā′tĭng, ăl′-)

n. Abbr. AC

An electric current that reverses direction in a circuit at regular intervals.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

alternating current

(Electrical Engineering) a continuous electric current that periodically reverses direction, usually sinusoidally. Abbreviation: AC Compare: direct current

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

al′ternating cur′rent

an electric current that reverses direction at regular intervals, having a magnitude that varies continuously in a sinusoidal manner. Abbr.: AC Compare direct current.

[1830–40]

al·ter·nat·ing current

(ôl′tər-nā′tĭng)

An electric current that reverses its direction of flow at regular intervals. Because the voltage of alternating current can be easily controlled with transformers, this is the type of electricity generated by power stations. The transformers raise the voltage to make it easier to transmit over long distances, then lower the voltage for safer use in homes and buildings. Compare direct current. See Notes at current, Tesla.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

alternating current

A rapidly reversing electric current.

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Noun

alternating current - an electric current that reverses direction sinusoidally; "In the US most household current is AC at 60 cycles per second"

alternating electric current, AC

electrical energy, electricity - energy made available by the flow of electric charge through a conductor; "they built a car that runs on electricity"

direct current, direct electric current, DC - an electric current that flows in one direction steadily

Translations

Wechselstrom

courant alternatif

corrente alternata

alternating current

[ˈɒltəneɪtɪŋˈkʌr/ənt] n → corrente f alternata

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

References in periodicals archive ?

[USPRwire, Fri Sep 28 2018] Flexible AC Current Transmission System (FACTS) is a power electronic-based system, composed of static equipment used for the AC transmission of electrical energy.

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In order to generate the hybrid source signal, a DC current source and an AC current source were paralleled.

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Reading at up to 300 S/s, the SDM3065X DMM takes measurements of true-rms AC voltage and AC current, resistance to 100 MQ, and capacitance to 10,000 mfi It also performs continuity and diode tests plus frequency and period measurements.

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Inverters from Lenze Schmidhauser convert the DC battery power into AC current for the motors.

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AC current controllers represent a basis for various applications in small, mid, and large power range applications, including AC motor drives, uninterruptible power supplies, and active power filters.

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ESD, also known as a "silent killer" is the result of the passage of a typically low level AC current through the body with sufficient force to cause skeletal muscular paralysis, rendering the victim unable to help him/herself, while immersed in fresh water, eventually resulting in drowning of the victim.

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It then uses a modulation technique (called Pulse Width Modulation) in another invertor to produce AC current based on desired frequency and voltage.

ACs with new techs lowering monthly power budget

Chapters progress from safety, basic electricity, OhmAEs Law, and basic electric circuits, through various types of AC current circuits, three-phase circuits, transformers, and DC and AC machines.

Delmar's Standard Textbook of Electricity, 6th Edition

The corrosion control industry generally considers AC current density to be the most critical factor in predicting AC corrosion risk to pipelines.