direct current
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- UNESCO-EOLSS - Direct Current and Alternating Current Systems
- BCcampus Publishing - Alternating Current versus Direct Current
- Khan Academy - AC and DC generators
- Physics LibreTexts - Alternating-Current Circuits
- Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research - The Overview of Direct Current Motor and their Types
- Abbreviation:
- DC
- Key People:
- Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton
- Related Topics:
- electric current
- direct-current circuit
direct current, flow of electric charge that does not change direction. Direct current is produced by batteries, fuel cells, rectifiers, and generators with commutators. Direct current was supplanted by alternating current (AC) for common commercial power in the late 1880s because it was then uneconomical to transform it to the high voltages needed for long-distance transmission. Techniques that were developed in the 1960s overcame this obstacle, and direct current is now transmitted over very long distances, even though it must ordinarily be converted to alternating current for final distribution. For some uses, such as electroplating, direct current is essential. See also electric current.