alternating current
What alternating current means in Combined Science GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of alternating current
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Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain alternating current in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A supply in which the potential difference repeatedly reverses direction, so the current changes direction many times each second.
The type of current the grid supply uses, because transformers work only with alternating current.
Topics that use alternating current
- Direct and alternating potential difference (AQA GCSE)
- The National Grid (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Direct potential difference
- Energy efficiency in the National Grid
- Frequency
- Ideal transformer power balance
- National Grid
- National Grid efficiency
- Potential difference and current
- Safe domestic electricity supply
Using alternating current in the exam
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