Direct current

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/direct-current

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the direction of charge flow?Unidirectional, from negative to positive terminal
2. What is the primary historical proponent?Thomas Edison, with the first central power station at Pearl Street
3. What is direct current (DC) and how does it flow?Direct current is electricity that moves in one direction, from the negative to the positive terminal. It never reverses like alternating current does.
4. Why did Thomas Edison use DC for the first power station?Edison believed DC was safer and more efficient for widespread use, so he built the first central power station in 1882.

Electrochemical Cell: A device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, forming the basis of batteries.
Power Electronics: The application of solid-state electronics for the control and conversion of electric power.
High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC): A method of transmitting large amounts of electrical power over long distances using DC.