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Types of direct current. The term DC is used to refer to power systems that use only one electrical polarity of voltage or current, and to refer to the constant, zero-frequency, or slowly varying local mean value of a voltage or current. [9] For example, the voltage across a DC voltage source is constant as is the current through a direct ...
A constant current (steady current, time-independent current, stationary current) is a type of direct current (DC) that does not change its intensity with time. The syntagma stationary current is a contradiction in terms, however in use.
The conventional symbol for current is I, which originates from the French phrase intensité du courant, (current intensity). [5] [6] Current intensity is often referred to simply as current. [7] The I symbol was used by André-Marie Ampère, after whom the unit of electric current is named, in formulating Ampère's force law (1820). [8]
Figure 1 shows the schematic symbol for an ideal current source driving a resistive load. There are two types. An independent current source (or sink) delivers a constant current. A dependent current source delivers a current which is proportional to some other voltage or current in the circuit.
Ohm's law states that the electric current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points. Introducing the constant of proportionality, the resistance, [1] one arrives at the three mathematical equations used to describe this relationship: [2]
"An example of the Direct Current symbol found on electronics requiring or producing DC power." —Torindkflt: Date: Uploaded as DCCurrent.gif on 25 Oct 2006 (UTC) Source: Originally uploaded to the English Wikipedia as DCCurrent.gif by Torindkflt. Vectorized by Remember the dot. Author: Torindkflt, Remember the dot: Permission (Reusing this file)
A schematic representation of long distance electric power transmission. From left to right: G=generator, U=step-up transformer, V=voltage at beginning of transmission line, Pt=power entering transmission line, I=current in wires, R=total resistance in wires, Pw=power lost in transmission line, Pe=power reaching the end of the transmission line, D=step-down transformer, C=consumers.
It obeys Ohm's law; the current is proportional to the applied voltage over a wide range. Its resistance, equal to the reciprocal of the slope of the line, is constant. A curved I–V line represents a nonlinear resistance, such as a diode. In this type the resistance varies with the applied voltage or current.