Article
Article
Alternating current
Article By:
Skilling, Hugh H. Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
Hesse, M. H. Department of Electric Power Engineering, School of Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York.
Skilling, Hugh H. Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
Last reviewed:November 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.025500
Electric current that follows a sine waveform that reverses direction periodically, usually many times per second. Electrical energy is ordinarily generated by an alternating-current generator owned by a public or investor-owned (private) utility organization and provided to a customer, whether industrial, commercial, or residential, as alternating current. See also: Electric power generation
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