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Also see current, voltage, and direct current. In electricity, alternating current (AC) occurs when charge carriers in a conductor or semiconductor periodically reverse their direction of movement. Household utility current in most countries is AC with a frequency of 60 hertz (60 complete cycles per second), although in some countries it is 50 Hz. The radio-frequency (RF) current in antennas and transmission lines is another example of AC. An AC waveform can be sinusoidal, square, or sawtooth-shaped. Some AC waveforms are irregular or complicated. An example of sine-wave AC is common household utility current (in the ideal case).
The mains frequency is the frequency at which the electrical power is supplied. This is 50 hertz in the U.K. and 60 hertz in the U.S. MARKER TAPE - A tape laid parallel to the conductors under the sheath in a cable, imprinted with the manufacturers name and the specification to which the cable is made.