What Does "VAC" Stand for in Electrical Terms?
Last Updated Mar 28, 2020 8:35:10 AM ET
VAC stands for volts (electrical pressure) of alternating current (AC). The standard voltage available from a wall socket in the United States is 110 to 120 volts.
The listed AC voltage is an average of the actual voltage, meaning that 120 volts AC actually alternates from zero to 170 volts in one direction, and reverses back to zero and up to 170 volts in the other direction. This particular average is calculated using the RMS method, which stands for root-mean-square, and represents the equivalent power that 120 volts direct current (DC) delivers. This alternating current cycle occurs 60 times per second with electricity in the United States. Alternating current in Europe and most of Asia cycles 50 times per second.
More From Reference
Here’s How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed In-Person Retail Shopping in Lasting Ways
A Brief History of Insults: How Different Cultures Use Spoken and Written Verse to Mock and Mediate
Monkeydactyl and the Little Foot Fossil: Major Evolutionary Breakthroughs of 2021 (So Far)
Fact Check: How Accurate Are Farmers Almanac Weather Forecasts in Comparison to Weather Apps?
What Annual Income Is Considered Poverty Level & How Was the Federal Poverty Level Established?
Tokyo 2020: Here's How the First Modern Olympics Started 125 Years Ago