alternating
- adjective
- /ˈɔltərˌneɪtɪŋ/
- Specialized
:
alternante
- Tesla's alternating current can be sent over long distances and at higher voltages, and then can be stepped down by Transformers to enter the local home.
Examples
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The technician explained how alternating current fluctuates, reversing direction many times per second.
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And he invented what is called the alternating current, which is what we use in all of our buildings today.
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And he saw on his mind the perfect blueprint of an engine that would create something called alternating current.
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So in the sphere here is some noble gas, and at the center there is an alternating current going to very high voltages.
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The first alternating current motor, the first wireless remote control boat, neon lights or the smoke detector?
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The power company supplies alternating current to homes, allowing appliances to function efficiently.
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In most modern devices, alternating current is used to power everything from lights to computers.
Antonyms
- Specialized
3
3.5
An electric flow that moves steadily in one direction, for example from a battery
Compounds
- Specialized
A flow of electricity that moves back and forth regularly, like the power in homes
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Alternating comes from the Latin part alter, which means 'other' or 'one of two', and is the same root you see in alternative. So an alternating current is easy to picture: it 'goes one way and then the other', reversing direction regularly.