Editing Direct current (section)

{{short description|Unidirectional flow of electric charge}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2009}}
{{Redirect|DC power|the association football club|DC Power FC}}
[[File:Types of current.svg|thumb|250px|Direct current (DC) (red line). The vertical axis shows current or voltage and the horizontal 't' axis measures time and shows the zero value.]]
'''Direct current''' ('''DC''') is one-directional [[electric current|flow]] of [[electric charge]]. An [[electrochemical cell]] is a prime example of  DC power. Direct current may flow through a [[conductor (material)|conductor]] such as a wire, but can also flow through [[semiconductor]]s, [[electrical insulation|insulators]], or even through a [[vacuum]] as in [[electron beam|electron or ion beams]]. The electric current flows in a constant direction, distinguishing it from [[alternating current]] (AC). A [[archaism|term formerly used]] for this type of current was '''galvanic current'''.<ref>{{cite book |title=Clinical Electrophysiology: Electrotherapy and Electrophysiologic Testing |author=Andrew J. Robinson, Lynn Snyder-Mackler|edition=3rd|year=2007 |publisher= [[Lippincott Williams & Wilkins]]|isbn= 978-0-7817-4484-3|page=10|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C2-9bcIjPBsC&q=%22galvanic+current%22+%22direct+current%22&pg=PA10}}</ref>

The abbreviations ''AC'' and ''DC'' are often used to mean simply ''alternating'' and ''direct'', as when they modify ''[[Electric current|current]]'' or ''[[voltage]]''.<ref>
{{cite book
| title = Basic Electronics & Linear Circuits
| author = N. N. Bhargava and D. C. Kulshrishtha
| publisher = [[Tata McGraw-Hill Education]]
| year = 1984
| isbn = 978-0-07-451965-3
| page = 90
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=C5bt-oRuUzwC&pg=PA90
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite book
| title = Electrical meterman's handbook
| author = National Electric Light Association
| publisher = Trow Press
| year = 1915
| page = 81
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEpWAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA81
}}</ref>

Direct current may be converted from an alternating current supply by use of a [[rectifier]], which contains [[Electronics|electronic]] elements (usually) or electromechanical elements (historically) that allow current to flow only in one direction. Direct current may be converted into alternating current via an [[inverter (electrical)|inverter]].

Direct current has many uses, from the charging of batteries to large power supplies for electronic systems, motors, and more. Very large quantities of electrical energy provided via direct-current  are used in smelting of [[aluminum]] and other [[electrochemistry|electrochemical]] processes. It is also used for some [[Railway electrification system#Direct current|railways]], especially in [[urban area]]s. [[High-voltage direct current]] is used to transmit large amounts of power from remote generation sites or to interconnect alternating current power grids.

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{{Electromagnetism |Network}}