Which term refers to the copper segment on the armature of a motor or generator?

• A. Commuter
• B. Conductor
• C. Capacitor
• D. Circular Mil

Answer: (A)

The copper segments on the armature are part of a device called the commutator. In a DC machine, the windings on the rotor must have their current direction reversed as the rotor turns, and the commutator accomplishes this by presenting different copper segments to stationary brushes as it spins. Each winding connects to a specific segment, and as the rotor rotates, the brushes ride from one segment to the next, effectively reversing the current at the correct moments to keep torque rotating in the same direction. The term commuter isn’t used in this electrical context, a conductor is a general term for any current-carrying path, a capacitor is a separate energy-storage component, and a circular mil is just a unit of cross-sectional area for conductors.