The two different ways that electricity is produced is by either a direct current or an alternating current. The two are used for extremely different purposes. However, one can be converted into the other.

            The first and simpler of the two is direct current, or commonly referred to as DC. This is the type of electricity that is produced in batteries, static, and lightning. With DC, a voltage is created, possibly stored, until a circuit is completed. When completed, the current flows in one direction at a specific, constant voltage. When one uses almost any type of portable or battery powered device, they are using a direct current. Most DC circuits are relatively low in voltage.

            The alternating current, or AC, is the more complex of the two types of electricity. It is the electricity you get from your house?s wall and that you use to power most of your in-home electrical appliances. This electricity, as opposed to DC, is not provided as a single, constant voltage. It is instead produced as a sine wave that over a certain amount of time goes from zero to its maximum value, minimum value, and then repeats the cycle again.

           While direct current is generally described by its voltage, alternating current requires a more detailed description. Because the positive and negative wave values would seem to cancel each other out, with AC you have to calculate the RMS (root mean square) average of the voltage. It is basically an average of the alternating current waveform.