Lesson: Alternating Current Physics • 9th Grade

In this lesson, we will learn how to identify alternating currents and calculate the properties of alternating currents.

Lesson Plan

Students will be able to

identify currents that do and do not vary in time,
understand that for a current to be an alternating current it must reverse direction periodically,
identify the time at which a current changes direction,
find the frequency of a current from a graph,
find the period of a current from a graph.

Q1:

Which of the following statements correctly describes what is meant by the term “alternating current”?

Q2:

The graph shows the current in a wire over time.

What is the peak value of the current?

Q3:

The graph shows a current in a wire over time.

What is the period of the current?