← Electrical Technology / 1 Fundamentals of Electricity
1.1 Single Phase AC Circuits
Electrical Technology · Grade 11 · 19 lessons in the design
What this covers
- Meaning of single phase alternating current and how it differs from direct current
- Electromagnetic induction and the generation of a single phase alternating current
- The simple single phase AC generator and the sinusoidal waveform it produces
- Quantities of a sinusoidal waveform: cycle, period, frequency, amplitude, peak-to-peak, instantaneous, average and root mean square values
- Effect of a resistor, a capacitor and an inductor in an AC circuit
- Capacitive reactance, inductive reactance and impedance
- Calculations of current and voltage drops in resistive, inductive and capacitive circuits
- Constructing and testing AC circuits on a breadboard
- Measuring AC quantities with a cathode ray oscilloscope, multimeter, frequency meter and signal generator
- Power, power factor and the importance of AC in day to day life
What you will be able to do
- explain the principle of generation of single phase alternating current (AC)
- describe quantities of a sinusoidal waveform in AC circuits
- analyse the effect of resistors, capacitors and inductors in AC circuits
- construct AC circuits using resistors, capacitors, and inductors
- appreciate the importance of A.C in the operation of electrical equipment and devices used in day-to-day life
Key questions
“How is an alternating current (AC) generated?”
“How are quantities of a sinusoidal waveform determined?”
Lessons
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Introduction to single phase alternating current
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizIntroduce alternating current and how it differs from direct current.
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Electromagnetic induction
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizExplain how a changing magnetic field induces a voltage in a conductor.
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Generating single phase alternating current
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizDescribe how a simple generator produces single phase alternating current.
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The sinusoidal waveform: cycle, period and frequency
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizDescribe the cycle, period and frequency of a sinusoidal waveform.
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Peak, peak-to-peak and instantaneous values
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizDescribe the peak, the peak-to-peak and the instantaneous value of a waveform.
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Average and root mean square values
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizExplain and calculate the average and root mean square values of a sine wave.
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Angular frequency and the waveform equation
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizRelate angular frequency to frequency and use the waveform equation.
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Phase and phase difference
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizExplain phase and phase difference between two alternating quantities.
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The resistor in an AC circuit
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizDescribe and calculate the effect of a resistor in an AC circuit.
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The capacitor in an AC circuit
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizDescribe the effect of a capacitor in an AC circuit.
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The inductor in an AC circuit
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizDescribe the effect of an inductor in an AC circuit.
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Capacitive reactance
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizCalculate the capacitive reactance of a circuit and the current through it.
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Inductive reactance
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizCalculate the inductive reactance of a circuit and the current through it.
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Impedance of AC circuits
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizCalculate the impedance of a circuit containing resistance and reactance.
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The series RLC circuit
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizAnalyse a series RLC circuit and work out the current and voltage drops.
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Constructing AC circuits on a breadboard
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizConnect and test a simple AC circuit on a breadboard.
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Measuring AC quantities
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizUse measuring instruments to determine AC circuit quantities.
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Power and power factor in AC circuits
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizExplain power and power factor in an AC circuit.
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The importance of AC in day to day life
40 min · 1 practice tasks · quizExplain why single phase AC is important in day to day life.