|MadSci Network: Science History|
NOTE: I tried to send this answer several weeks ago, but I don't believe you got it. I've been having trouble with my email. The short (and not so interesting) answer to your
|MadSci Network: Science History|
NOTE: I tried to send this answer several weeks ago, but I don't believe you got it. I've been having trouble with my email. The short (and not so interesting) answer to your questions is this: the voltage and frequency chosen for commercial and residential power distribution are somewhat arbitrary. But once they're chosen, standardization for a geographic region (country, continent, etc.) is very important. It's kind of like having everyone drive on the right or left hand side of the road. The choice doesn't matter very much, but agreeing on the choice matters a lot! That said, would any frequency and any voltage be as good as any other? And the answer is no. Let's consider the reasons for this by looking at what's good and bad about high and low voltage. From there we can zero in on a voltage range that's low enough to avoid the bad things about being high and high enough to avoid the bad things about being low. Then we'll do the same thing for frequency. As most everyone knows, really high voltage is dangerous--deadly dangerous! So for safety reasons in a home, you want voltage to be as low as possible. Well then why not make it really low, say a volt or two, like a battery? The reason involves the relationships between electric voltage, current, resistance and power, so let's review them. When current flows through a wire, the wire heats up as electrical energy is turned into heat. This is how electric stoves, toasters, hairdryers etc. work. If enough current flows, the wire can even glow, giving off energy in the form of light. That's how light bulbs work. The rate that electri