Electricity

Mains Electricity - Household Uses.

There are a large number of appliances which use mains electricity.
An appliance is a useful arrangement of electrical components.
These include cookers, heaters, lighting, TV, radio, hi-fi and computers.

The first two, cookers and heaters,
can use other types of energy, for example gas.
Lighting today is almost entirely powered by electricity
but in the past, gas lamps and candles were used.
The alternating current of mains electricity can be used directly
to power cookers, heaters and lighting,
since they all depend on the heating effect of current passing through a wire.

The last four, TV, radio, hi-fi and computers,
must use direct current electricity.
The alternating current of mains electricity
must first be turned into direct current by using an arrangement of diodes,
which allow electric current to flow in one direction only.
The voltage is usually stepped down to 12 volts or less
by using a suitable transformer.

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