eli5: how does AC power provide power when it’s just shifting back and forth? Don’t you need to have current going in one direction

Question

eli5: how does AC power provide power when it’s just shifting back and forth? Don’t you need to have current going in one direction

In: 67

Answer 1

A saw only goes back and forth, but it does a ton of work on the wood and generates heat.

It’s the same principle, just with electrons. The electrons aren’t all flowing in one direction, but they do still work when they are moving back and forth, therefore they impart heat, energy, etc. to the process.

It’s not like “moving the other way” somehow cancels out your initial move, any more than pulling a saw backwards undoes the cutting it did going forwards.