Power plug question

[spartaman64]

Why does it have two prongs?

[danomicar]

Anode and Cathode

[W-L]

Why does it have two prongs?

 

Depends on the device's plug but for wall plugs it has AC or alternating current with the two top prongs being live and neutral and the bottom being the ground.

[spartaman64]

Anode and Cathode

sorry im a noob at this but for AC do you need a cathode and anode i thought one of the reason why it was chosen over DC is because you dont need two cables going to each house

[spartaman64]

Depends on the device's plug but for wall plugs it has AC or alternating current with the two top prongs being live and neutral and the bottom being the ground.

i thought the bottom one is discharge for things with metal casings so you dont get shocked touching it

[danomicar]

sorry im a noob at this but for AC do you need a cathode and anode i thought one of the reason why it was chosen over DC is because you dont need two cables going to each house

You'll need two paths for the electricity go or otherwise it will not flow

[spartaman64]

You'll need two paths for the electricity go or otherwise it will not flow

AC doesnt really flow it goes back and forth so im confused

[W-L]

i thought the bottom one is discharge for things with metal casings so you dont get shocked touching it

sorry im a noob at this but for AC do you need a cathode and anode i thought one of the reason why it was chosen over DC is because you dont need two cables going to each house

 

If your talking in the large scale AC power was chosen over DC because of it's ability to easily step up and step down the voltage for long distance transmission where DC would be more limited. AC power has different phases but in general for homes single phase 120V or 230/240V is used where single phase requires 2 wire the neutral and live, places where you see 3 phase power is industrial areas or things like large electric motors for elevators. 3 phase has 3 live wires and one neutral.

 

The third pin is ground and you would be correct if a device built up a charge or short out due to a malfunction it would safely dissipate instead of giving a shock.

[spartaman64]

 

 

If your talking in the large scale AC power was chosen over DC because of it's ability to easily step up and step down the voltage for long distance transmission where DC would be more limited. AC power has different phases but in general for homes single phase 120V or 230/240V is used where single phase requires 2 wire the neutral and live, places where you see 3 phase power is industrial areas or things like large electric motors for elevators. 3 phase has 3 live wires and one neutral.

 

The third pin is ground and you would be correct if a device built up a charge or short out due to a malfunction it would safely dissipate instead of giving a shock.

 

so how does AC behave with regards to the plug? does it come in one and out the other?

[KemoKa]

so how does AC behave with regards to the plug? does it come in one and out the other?

If I understand correctly, it alternates polarity at around 50/60Hz.

[W-L]

so how does AC behave with regards to the plug? does it come in one and out the other?

 

AC doesn't flow in a circle like in DC it switches back and forth really quick, In the US 60Hz or 60 times a second:

[Boink]

Electricity flows from negative to positive regardless as to whether it is AC or DC. DC is much less volatile, making it much easier to use in small devices like computers, but cannot easily be transmitted over long distances without large losses. AC can travel over very large distances without much loss of power, but can also easily short over small distances due to its ability to overcome high levels of resistance. As a result, AC is much more dangerous than DC so it is less suited for household appliances.