ABSTRACT
The vast majority of the electrical power produced is AC. Massive mechanical generators at power plants provide the necessary electrical power to supply our homes and industries. Most generators produce three-phase AC; however, single-phase generators are also used for certain applications of a smaller nature. The basic principle that allows electrical power to be produced by alternators was discovered in the early 1800s by Michael Faraday, an English scientist. Faraday’s law is the basis of electrical power production. A conductor is placed within the magnetic field of a horseshoe magnet so that the left side of the magnet has a north polarity (N) and the right side has a south polarity (S). Magnetic lines of force travel from the north polarity of the magnet to the south polarity. Generators used to produce electrical power require some form of mechanical energy. The mechanical energy is used to move electrical conductors through the magnetic field of the generator.
