And that's not the only reason that AC became a standard...
Someone figured out that if power had to be routed to a major city, the size of the cable would have to be larger for DC.
You see, the average voltage of an AC circuit, is actually 0 volts...
The other problem was that there is much more power loss in transmitting a DC source than an AC source. It's also easier to correct a power drop in AC, than it is in DC. (Can you imagine the size of a DC power regulator sitting on top of that pole, next to your house?)
Also, as stated earlier, DC is actually more dangerous, and has this nasty tendency to arc (specifically, 50,000 volts will arc within a 1cm space (3/8 inch for those who are about to complain). It's good if you're welding, but not if you're just trying to enjoy the sun. Since AC has an average voltage of 0 (because it goes positive, then negative 60 times per second), it's less likely to arc.
And another point... since electricity is produced from generators, however they are made to turn, the output is in AC and so, it's cheaper to just transmit it just the way it is.
AC arrives at your house at a frequency of 60Hertz. It's accurate enough for you to time a clock based on that signal. (have you ever noticed that your alarm clock runs faster/slower when it's running on batteries?)
That's my bit for today...
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