Eli5: What’s the difference between a single phase electric current versus a 3 phased one?
In: 18
An interesting fact not mentioned here is the phase shift occurring in three phase power.
The voltage in one phase shifts between -240V and +240V constantly.
When you now attach one phase to a motor, it will induce a magnetic field in the metal wires inside.This will help a motor to turn itself since it is a magnet that gets attracted from the resulting electromagnetic field.
If you now use three phases, the voltage is 120 degree shifted which means, that every phase will reach the 240V at a different point in time.
This makes it easy to construct a motor that spins 50 times a second using three coils and the three phases. You now just need to arrange the coils in a triangle and put a magnet in the middle. The magnet will rotate in the frequency of the power network.
PS: living in Europe so voltage may be different but the concept is the same.
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