Page 2: A Closer Look at AC Motors                        Home    Page 1    Page 2    Page 3    Page 4    Bibliography

The first AC motor was originally developed in 1832 by a Frenchman named  Hippolyte Pixii (AC Motor, Wikipedia).  This was a follow up to the discovery by Michael Faraday in 1831 that a changing magnetic field could create current.  The way an AC motor works is when it is connected to an electric source, the electrons moving through the wires create a magnetic field which causes the rotor to spin.  This spinning in turn creates a torque that is used to power certain objects.  The speed of an AC motor is usually determined by the frequency of the AC power supply, and represented by the equation: Ns = 120F/p, where Ns is the Synchronous speed, F is the frequency of the AC power source, and p is the number of poles per phase winding (AC Motor, Wikipedia).   

                              
 
Many household items such as fans, dryers, and humidifiers use AC motors. 
AC motors are generally better at providing large amounts of power for a longer period of time.  They are also durable and comparatively cheap.  An added benefit to these motors as opposed to gas motors is that they don't make any greenhouse emissions.


  Image Source:

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTcXiUZilVh7EAo0KjzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBxNG1oMmE2BHNlYwNmcC1hdHRyaWIEc2xrA3J1cmwEaXQD/RV=2/RE=1428805396/RO=11/RU=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aElectric_Motor_Rotor.jpg/RK=0/RS=ZJQWzijbphekpVfpqfzj_2RQSjc- (AC Motor image 1 right hand side)

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTcXo3ZylVsS4AbkqjzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBxNG1oMmE2BHNlYwNmcC1hdHRyaWIEc2xrA3J1cmwEaXQD/RV=2/RE=1428805559/RO=11/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.o-digital.com%2fsupplier-catalogs%2f2179%2f2188%2fElectric-Motor-3.html/RK=0/RS=jViyRy0J_7bmgGlEZcvF68SL3Fk- (AC Motor image 2 Left hand side)