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KYPOWERLIFTER
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This is a pitifully simplistic interrogatory, but here goes.
Is this roughly how an AC circuit works?:
An AC generator supplies an electron flow to start the circuit. These electrons then flow down a single wire to say a household fusebox/breaker. From there they flow to a wall plug and then which has two prongs, one 'hot' and one 'neutral'. Then the electrons pass through the 'hot' wire and through a device and return on a separate wire (although bundled in a cord with the hot wire) to the 'neutral' plug. The neutral plug wire then completes the circuit by going down a separate wire and eventually back to the AC generator. Parenthetically, I realize that the current switches polarity 60 times per second and that I have ignored transformers, capacitors, etc. But is this crudely correct?
Edit: it appears, after viewing this: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/hsehld.html that I may have displayed further ignorance...
So, it's two 'hots' and a neutral that come into the home, with two 'hots' going to the breaker and the neutral going to a 'neutral tie in box'. It still appear from the diagram that the THREE wires go back to the AC supply generator? So, are the three wires not to be thought of as having electrons flowing to and from but more properly thought of as all with a back and forth electron flow? Or is it just the 'neutral' wire that completes the circuit? Convoluted, but I am confused.
Is this roughly how an AC circuit works?:
An AC generator supplies an electron flow to start the circuit. These electrons then flow down a single wire to say a household fusebox/breaker. From there they flow to a wall plug and then which has two prongs, one 'hot' and one 'neutral'. Then the electrons pass through the 'hot' wire and through a device and return on a separate wire (although bundled in a cord with the hot wire) to the 'neutral' plug. The neutral plug wire then completes the circuit by going down a separate wire and eventually back to the AC generator. Parenthetically, I realize that the current switches polarity 60 times per second and that I have ignored transformers, capacitors, etc. But is this crudely correct?
Edit: it appears, after viewing this: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/hsehld.html that I may have displayed further ignorance...
So, it's two 'hots' and a neutral that come into the home, with two 'hots' going to the breaker and the neutral going to a 'neutral tie in box'. It still appear from the diagram that the THREE wires go back to the AC supply generator? So, are the three wires not to be thought of as having electrons flowing to and from but more properly thought of as all with a back and forth electron flow? Or is it just the 'neutral' wire that completes the circuit? Convoluted, but I am confused.
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