INTRODUCTION

Imagine a world where every neighborhood had its own power plant, and electricity couldn’t travel more than a couple of kilometers. This was the challenge faced in the late 1800s until two inventors—Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison—set out to solve it. What they discovered changed the way electricity powers our world today.

You’ve already built and experimented with simple AC and DC circuits, exploring how current flows and what happens when key connections are interrupted. But where do these types of electricity come from, and why do we use both?

Understanding this history and the science behind it is not just interesting—it’s practical. On the job, you’ll encounter situations where knowing how electricity behaves, and how to calculate and manage power, will help you troubleshoot, optimize, and maintain electrical systems.

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OBJECTIVES

Understand the advantages and disadvantages of DC electricity and AC electricity
Understand why we use AC power to send electricity long distances
Identify the invention that made high voltage electricity safe to use in homes

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HISTORY OF AC and DC

In this video, we’ll dive into the story of how AC and DC electricity were developed and the pivotal “War of Currents” between Tesla and Edison. We’ll also explore the science behind their solutions, including Ohm’s Law, the power formula $P = I^2R$ , and how transformers made it possible for AC electricity to travel across the country.

You’re already familiar with current (I), voltage (V), and resistance (R), but you may not have encountered power (P) yet. Power, measured in watts, is the rate at which electrical energy is used or produced. In simple terms, it’s how much work an electrical system is doing at any given time. The formula for power in a circuit is $P = I^2R$ , which shows how power increases with the square of the current and the resistance. This concept is crucial for understanding how we efficiently use electricity over long distances.

Don't worry if you don't understand all the concepts; we will revisit these principles in future labs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQfrzBfnDU

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SUBMISSION

After watching the video, answer the questions below.