Chapter 7, Problem 43R

To determine

To Explain:Whether the electric appliances used in North America will work when plugged into an outlet in Europe, where generators produce alternating current at a frequency of 50 Hz.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:The frequency of an alternating current is half the number of times the current changes its direction per second.

In Europe, generators generate alternating current at a frequency of 50 Hz, which means, the current changes its direction 100 times per second.

However, in North America, the generators generate alternating current at a frequency of 60 Hz, that is, the current changes its direction 120 times per second.

Therefore, the electric appliances used in North America when plugged into an outlet in Europe will notwork because these appliances are designed for an input frequency of 60 Hz, and the AC frequency of the outlet is only 50 Hz.

Conclusion: the electric appliances used in North America will not work if they are plugged into an outlet in Europe, because the AC frequency of the outlet and the appliances are different.