The conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy and electrical energy into mechanical energy is a necessary process in the industries as well as in our daily life. Electrical machines are used for the conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy and mechanical energy into electrical energy.Depending upon the type of electromechanical energy conversion, the electrical machines are divided in two types as, Electric MotorElectric GeneratorIn this article, we will explain the key differences between electric motor and electric generator. We also added a brief description of the motor and generator for your reference.What is an Electric Motor?An electromechanical energy ... Read More

A rectifier is an electronic circuit that converts the alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). The process of conversion of alternating current into direct current is known as rectification. The rectifier consists of semiconductor diodes to perform the rectification.Depending upon the type of conversion of AC into DC, i.e., half cycle of AC into DC or full cycle of AC into DC, the rectifiers are classified into two categories viz. −Half Wave RectifierFull Wave RectifierIn this article, we will discuss about the differences between half-wave rectifier and full-wave rectifier. Also, we will briefly discuss about the half-wave rectifier and ... Read More

Converter and inverter are both two important power-electronic devices in the field of electrical and electronics engineering. Inverters and converters are used for the conversion of AC power into DC power and vice-versa which is a very important phenomenon in the field power electronic engineering as well as in our day-to-day life.The most significant difference between these two devices is that a converter is a power-electronic device which can transform the electric power from one form (AC or DC) to another form (AC or DC), while an inverter is a type of power electronic converter which converters DC power into ... Read More

The electronic circuit which is used to convert alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) is known as a rectifier. The process of converting the alternating current into direct current is called rectification. The main component of the rectifier which performs the rectification is the semiconductor diode.Depending upon the type of conversion from AC to DC, i.e. half cycle of AC or full cycle of AC, rectifiers can be grouped into two categories −Half-wave rectifierFull-wave rectifierBased on the circuit configuration, the full-wave rectifier is further classified into two types viz. −Centre-tapped full-wave rectifierBridge rectifierThus, both centre-tapped and bridge rectifiers are ... Read More

Ammeter and galvanometer are both measuring instruments used to measure the current flowing through a circuit. The most significant difference between a galvanometer and an ammeter is that the ammeter measures only the magnitude of the current flowing in the circuit, while the galvanometer shows both magnitude and direction of the current in the circuit.Go through this article to know more about ammeter and galvanometer and the key differences between these two measuring instruments.What is a Galvanometer?A galvanometer is an electromechanical measuring device used to measure the strength of current and direction in an electric circuit. A typical galvanometer consists ... Read More

There are two important devices viz. UPS and inverter that are used extensively to provide backup supply to the electrical systems. As we know, today electricity has become a necessity because almost all of our day-to-day activities require electricity. Since, all the device such as mobiles, laptops, PCs, washing machines, coolers, ACs, etc. use electricity to work. If the electric supply gets down, it will greatly affect the operation of these devices. Therefore, to smoothly run these devices even after the cut out of electric supply, two electric power systems are designed named Inverter and UPS.Basically, both UPS and inverter ... Read More

Both the PN junction diode and the Zener diode are semiconductor devices that are extensively used in various electronic circuits. A PN junction diode is mainly used for rectification (transforming AC into DC), while a Zener diode is used for voltage regulation in the electronic circuits.There are a number of differences in both PN junction diode and Zener diode which are explained in detail in the below table. Before going into the discussion about the differences between PN junction diode and Zener diode, it is fruitful to get the basic details about the PN junction diode and Zener diode.What is ... Read More

A magnet is a material or object which has ability to produce a magnetic field and can attract or repel other ferromagnetic materials. Based on the method of production of magnetic field, the magnets are classified into two types viz. −Permanent magnetElectromagnetThe main difference between an electromagnet and a permanent magnet is that an electromagnet produces the magnetic field by the effect of electric current flowing through a coil insulated wire wound around a piece of soft magnetic material. Whereas, a permanent magnet is made up of hard magnetic material and once it is magnetized, it can produce the magnetic ... Read More

Voltage and current are the two fundamental electrical quantities. The voltage is the factor in an electric circuit which causes electric current to flow in the circuit. The magnitude of the voltage and current depend upon each other. However, there are several differences between voltage and current which are described in the comparison chart below.What is Voltage?The difference in the electric potential between two points in an electric circuit is known as voltage. The voltage is also known as potential difference or electric pressure or electric tension. If the work done in moving a unit positive charge (Q) from one ... Read More

In electrical engineering, the power factor of an AC system is the expression of energy efficiency. The power factor (PF) is defined as the ratio of active power (measured in Watts) to the apparent power (measured in VA). The power factor expresses the ratio of true power which is used in an AC circuit to the total power delivered to the circuit. Mathematically, the power factor can be expressed using the following formula − $$\mathrm{Power \: factor \, \mathrm{=}\, \frac{Active \: power}{Apparent \: power}}$$ There are two major terms are associated with the power factor of an AC circuit viz. ... Read More