APPENDIX A
Power Distribution and Home Wiring
A.1 Power Distribution
Figure A.1 shows a typical power-distribution system found in the United States (region in California). The voltages listed are sinusoidal and are represented by their rms values. Note that the system in your area may look a bit different from the system shown here. Contact your local utility to learn about how things are set up in your region.
As a note, ac is used in electrical distribution instead of dc because ac can be stepped up or down easily by using a transformer. Also, over long distances, it is more efficient to send electricity via high-voltage/low-current transmission lines. By reducing the current, less power is lost to resistive heating during transmission ...
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