Summary and Main Ideas

Summary

• Electrical generators convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.

• Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.

• There are two types of generators - AC and DC. An AC generator is also called an alternator.

• There are two types of motors - AC and DC.

• Alternating current (AC) has many advantages over direct current (DC) listed previously.

• The root mean square (rms) value of a quantity is the maximum value the quantity can have divided by \(\sqrt{\text{2}}\).

• RMS values are used for voltage and current when dealing with alternating current, \(I_{\text{rms}} = \dfrac{I_{\text{max}}}{\sqrt{\text{2}}}\) and \(V_{\text{rms}} = \dfrac{V_{\text{max}}}{\sqrt{\text{2}}}\).

• The average power dissipated in a purely resistive circuit with alternating current is \(P_{av}=I_{rms}V_{rms}\).