I understand the concept of DC, but if electrons are just kind of moving back and forth in one place to produce an electric charge for AC, why do they say it’s necessary to have a path back to ground/ 0V if it’s not “moving” towards ground/ 0V?
In: 7
An analogy with a bicycle chain. With DC, you’re constantly pedalling in one direction. The top half of the chain is always going forwards, and the bottom half is going backwards.
Now think of someone on a unicycle trying to remain roughly stationary – they do this by constantly pedalling backwards and forwards in little steps, and likewise the chain is constantly jiggling backwards and forwards. That’s AC.
The top and bottom halves of the chain are the hot/line and neutral (or whatever terminology is used depending on your country and set-up). Now think what happens if you cut the bottom half of the chain.
Latest Answers