What is the difference between alternating and direct current?

This form of electricity is generally lower in voltage but it has a continuous stream of steady power.
Direct current is normally found in batteries both internal and external.
Many home based appliances such as television sets have internal battery systems that convert the alternating current into a lower powered and safer version of direct current for the sensitive circuits that the electricity will run through.
Higher electrical levels can short out or even set those circuits on fire and are a serious safety hazard.
This is why power inverters were made to switch current types back and forth, or even shift them in scale from the same type to a higher voltage of that type.

Alternating current has negative and positive alternating cycles, thus granting this form of electricity delivery its name.
This is useful for equipment that requires a surging style of power as well as transferring electrical current across large distances through conductive metal wires.
However, this can be a dangerous form of electrical power to use in sensitive electronics.