energy and thus consumes no

ALTERNATING power.

CURRENT 2. Differentiate AC & DC. Give any

two advantages of AC circuit over
DC circuit.
Answer the following questions –
DC VOLTAGE AC VOLTAGE
1. Define Fixed polarity Reverses polarity
(a) AC voltage – the voltage that Can be steady or Varies in
varies like a sine function with vary in magnitude
time. magnitude between
(b) AC current – the current drawn by reversals in
an ac voltage that varies like a sine polarity
function with time. Steady value Used for
(c) Impedance - electrical impedance cannot be electrical power
is the measure of the opposition stepped up or distribution.
down by
that a circuit presents to a current
transformer
when a voltage is applied.
The advantages of AC over DC –
(d) Impedance diagram – is a right-
angled triangle with its hypotenuse - Easily and efficiently converted
as Z and sides as XC – XL and R. from one voltage to the other by
(e) Inductive reactance - Inductive means of transformers.
reactance is the opposition offered - Electrical energy can also be
by the inductor in an AC circuit to transmitted economically over long
the flow of AC current. distances.
(f) Capacitive reactance - it is the
opposition offered by a capacitor to 3. What is a phasor? Why is it used?
the flow of AC current in the AC What are the disadvantages of using
circuit. phasors?
(g) Root mean square current - The - A phasor is a vector which rotates
RMS value of alternating current is about the origin with angular
given by direct current which flows frequency ω .
through a resistance. - Phasors are used to show the phase
(h) Root mean square voltage - An relationship between voltage and
RMS voltage is defined as the current.
square root of the mean square of - Disadvantages - Phasors don’t tell
instantaneous values of the voltage anything about the initial condition
signal. and one can take any arbitrary
(i) Power factor - Power factor is value of angular speed.
defined as the cosine of angle
between the voltage phasor and 4. The peak voltage of household
current phasor in an AC circuit. circuit is around _________V.
(j) Wattless current - (311 V)
Wattless current is defined as 5. Define resonance and resonant
the current that does not consume frequency.
 - Resonance is a phenomenon that - This means that we cannot have
occurs when the matching resonance in a RL or RC circuit.
vibrations of another object
increase the amplitude of an 8. What is a transformer?
object’s oscillations. Transformers work on the principle
- Resonant frequency is the natural of ________________.
frequency where a medium vibrates
A transformer is a device consisting of two
at the highest amplitude.
sets of coils insulated from each other
wound on top of other or in separate limbs
6. Write any one application of
which is used to covert a value of AC
resonance and explain.
voltage to the other.
- Application of resonance is in the
tuning mechanism of a radio or a Mutual induction.
TV set.
9. Differentiate between the two types
- The antenna of a radio accepts
of transformers.
signals from many broadcasting
stations. Step up Step down
- The signals picked up in the transformer transformer
antenna acts as a source in the More turns on Less turns on
tuning circuit of the radio, so the secondary coil secondary coil
circuit can be driven at many Less turns on More turns on
frequencies. But to hear one primary coil primary coil
particular radio station, we tune the Induced voltage is Induced voltage is
greater in less in secondary
radio.
secondary coil coil than the
- In tuning, we vary the capacitance than applied applied voltage in
of a capacitor in the tuning circuit voltage in primary the secondary coil
such that the resonant frequency of coil
the circuit becomes nearly equal to Used to get Used in
the frequency of the radio signal desired voltage transportation of
received. power to homes,
- When this happens, the amplitude schools etc.
of the current with the frequency of
the signal of the particular radio 10. What are assumptions used in
station in the circuit is maximum. calculating the power in transformer
coils?
7. Why cannot we have resonance in (i) the primary resistance and
RL or RC circuit? Explain. current are small;
- Resonance phenomenon is (ii) the same flux links both
exhibited by a circuit only if both L primary and the secondary as
and C are present in the circuit. very little flux escapes from
- Only then do the voltages across L core
and C cancel each other (both (iii) the secondary current is small.
being out of phase) and the current
amplitude is vm /R, the total source 11. What are the possible reasons for
voltage appearing across R. energy loss in transformers?
 (i) Flux Leakage: There is always
some flux leakage; that is, not
all of the flux due to primary
passes through the secondary
due to poor design of the core
or the air gaps in the core. It
can be reduced by winding the
primary and secondary coils
one over the other.
(ii) Resistance of the windings:
The wire used for the windings
has some resistance and so,
energy is lost due to heat
produced in the wire. In high
current, low voltage windings,
these are minimised by using
thick wire.
(iii) Eddy currents: The alternating
magnetic flux induces eddy
currents in the iron core and
causes heating. The effect is
reduced by using a laminated
core.
(iv) Hysteresis: The magnetisation
of the core is repeatedly
reversed by the alternating
magnetic field. The resulting
expenditure of energy in the
core appears as heat and is kept
to a minimum by using a
magnetic material which has a
low hysteresis loss.
12. Which is the most commonly used
type of transformer? Why?
- The voltage output of the generator
is stepped-up (so that current is
reduced and consequently, the I2R
loss is cut down).
- It is then transmitted over long
distances to an area sub-station
near the consumers.
- There the voltage is stepped down.
It is further stepped down at
distributing sub-stations and utility
poles before a power supply of 240
V reaches our homes.
13. Draw a graph to show the relation
between the mean value and rms
value of current.
14. Why it is not possible to have
electrolysis by A.C?
- In electrolysis the ionization of the
electrolyte takes place where the
positive and negative charges move
towards opposite electrodes.
- For this the electrodes are required to
be maintained at opposite polarity as
long as the process continuous which is
possible while supplying a dc current.
- But if we pass an ac current the
polarity of the electrodes will be
continuously changing and the ions
will not be attracted towards any
particular electrode resulting in no
ionization.
- Hence electrolysis cannot take place
with ac current.

ELECTROMAG
NETIC WAVES
Answer the following questions –
1. Define
(a) Displacement current –
(b) Electromagnetic wave –
(c) Electromagnetic spectrum –
(d) Conduction current –
2. What are the consequences of
displacement current?
4. Can displacement and conduction
current exist independent of each
other? Why/why not?
- In some cases, for example, steady electric
fields in a conducting wire, the
displacement current may be zero since
the electric field does not change with
time.
- In other cases, for example, the charging
capacitor above, both conduction and
displacement currents may be present in
different regions of space.
- In most of the cases, they both may be
present in the same region of space, as
there exist no perfectly conducting or
perfectly insulating medium.
- Most interestingly, there may be large
regions of space where there is no
conduction current, but there is only a
displacement current due to time-varying
electric fields.
- In such a region, we expect a magnetic
field, though there is no (conduction)
current source nearby!
5. The prediction of such a displacement
current can be verified experimentally.
For example, a magnetic field (say at
point M) between the plates of the
capacitor can be measured and is
seen to be the same as that just
outside.

6. State ampere-maxwell law.

- The total current passing through any
3. Differentiate between conduction
surface of which the closed loop is the
and displacement current.
perimeter is the sum of the conduction
Conduction current Displacement current and the displacement current.
current ⅆ ∅E
Caused by electric Caused by time
- ∮ B ⋅ ⅆl=μ0 ic+ μ0 ε 0
ⅆt
charges in motion varying electric field.
Frequency Frequency
independant dependant
Dominant in Dominant in
conductors dielectrics