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Direct current is constant - always in the same direction. Alternating current regularly changes direction; for example, in household current, 50 or 60 times (that is, full cycles) in every second.

See the Related Link below for more information about the difference between alternating current and direct current.

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13y ago
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8y ago

Alternating Current (AC) is the type of electricity typically used in households. With AC, the magnitude and direction of electricity vary.

Direct current (DC) is a source of electricity that does not vary in direction. An example of a DC source is a battery, or solar cells.

The main difference between the two types of currents is simply the direction, as made quite clear by the names:

AC = varied direction and magnitude where as DC = continuous current.

Alternate current cannot stored but direct current can be stored examples in case of battery cells

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13y ago

Very simply, DC or Direct Current is like a flash light battery. The current flows direct in a single direction like a car around a race track.

AC, or Alternating Current, does exactly what the name implies. In USA, Canada - and in other countries which use the same service frequency - the direction of the current changes 60 times a second (also called a frequency of 60 Hertz) between the 'Hot' (also known as the 'Live') wire - often colored Black - and the Common (also known as the 'Neutral') wire, which is usually colored White. In Europe and many other areas of the world, the service frequency is 50 times a second (50 Hertz).

It is the service frequency which makes the typical "humming" sound you hear from Transformers or electric AC motors when they are running.

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14y ago

Direct Current:''Direct current never change their position'' e.g if you connect a bulb using the same current then it will glow continously. Alternating Current:''Alternating current change their position (polarity) continously'' e.g if you connect a bulb using the alternating current then during changing of there polarity, it (bulb) will goes to off position, this ON/OFF system of bulb is much faster that our eyes can't detect these changes (60 HZ=sixty time ON/OFF).

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11y ago

The difference between direct current and alternating current is that DC current does not reverse polarity but alternating current changes polarity back and forth so many times per second. That is called its frequency.

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11y ago

Alternating Current moves higher and lower 60 to 50 times a second. Like the ocean tide at the coast become higher and lower except at a much faster rate. Direct Current does not move up or down it is straight like the water in a lake.

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9y ago

Direct current has no directional flow to a current. Steady current is exactly that a steady current such as a car battery constant.

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11y ago

ac comes directly from the power socket, and DC is battery source.

Answer2: The frequency is the difference, AC has frequency f>0 and DC does not f=0.

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10y ago

A direct current flows in one direction only. An alternating current changes direction all the time; for commercially available current, a full cycle typically takes 1/50 or 1/60 of a second.

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Q: What is different between alternating current and direct current?
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