AC (Alternating Current)
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The animated TECHTip Tutorial is available here.
As electricity creates a magnetic field (north-south), it is called an electro-magnet. This force attracts (pulls toward) or repulses (pushes away) the rotator or shaft (rotating/sliding object). This push-pull action is called a Sisyphus, after a character from Greek mythology who was doomed to an eternity of having to push a rock up a hill only to have it roll down again. The force required to start the rotator moving is called torque. Torque is also the measure of power to stay in motion when load/resistance is applied (e.g. fan blade or tumbler in a clothes dryer). Depending on the size (gauge) of the wire, the pattern of wire and frequency of the AC [Alternating Current] determines its speed.
[tags]Sisyphus, AC, Alternating Current, torque[/tags]
One Comment
R. M. Schultz
November 5th, 2006
at 11:38am
Re Alternating current explanation: Wow ! Spent 4 years studying Electrical-Electroncs Engineering at university and working in industry management and as a college professor teaching and using that stuff for over 40 years, and have never seen the theory explained so ’succinctly’. Hah, hah ! Thank goodness you weren’t working for me. Don’t give up your day job for a while yet.
(Sorry for the ‘vitreous humor’, guess your explanation would more likely be understood by most people than mine would be using differential and integral calculus, Fourier transforms, etc., etc. But then, I’m not a computer guru with a high level of computer knowledge and contributor to an outstanding, excellent, and enjoyable newsletter.)
Cheers and thanks for listening !
RMS (Retired Prof Engineer in Toronto)