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

Think of a long river. If it flows continuously, you can extract power from the river’s current by dipping in a paddle-wheel. You can transfer power from the rotating paddle wheel by means of shafts, and finally use the power to turn a stone and grind grain into flour..

But if the water is just shifting to and fro – flowing forward and then flowing in reverse – you can still dip in the paddle wheel. Even if the paddle wheel turns one way once and then the other way, that motion is still power which you can use to turn a stone and grind grain into flour.

Any kind of motion or current does contain power. It’s up to you how to extract it.