Direction of current in distribution network

Thread Starter

Cerkit

Joined Jan 4, 2009
287
Hi.

How does one intuitively understand current direction in AC?
Confused as I just view the current as going back and forward all the time.

Thanks
 

daviddeakin

Joined Aug 6, 2009
207
It does go back and forth. During circuit analysis what we usually look at is the direction of each current relative to the others.

For example, if we happen to find that one current is flowing in the opposite direction to another, then the same is still true when they eventually change direction; they're still opposite each other.

Or you might prefer to imagine that when we do our circuit anaysis we are freezing the currents at a specific moment in time, and then looking at their relative directions.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
+1

And we are also concerned with the current directions relative to the voltages at any given moment in time, as this determined the amount of power at play and whether it is being delivered or absorbed.
 
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