A cikin da'irar AC, akwai nau'ikan wutar lantarki guda biyu da ake samarwa daga wutar lantarki: ɗaya ƙarfin aiki ne ɗayan kuma ƙarfin amsawa ne. Idan nauyin ya kasance nauyin juriya ne, wutar da ake amfani da ita ita ce ƙarfin aiki, idan nauyin ya kasance ƙarfin capacitive ko inductive, amfani da ita shine ƙarfin amsawa. Ƙarfin wutar lantarki mai aiki da wutar lantarki a cikin lokaci ɗaya (ƙarfin AC shine bambanci tsakanin ƙarfin aiki da ƙarfin amsawa), lokacin da ƙarfin lantarki ya wuce ƙarfin lantarki, ƙarfin amsawa ne na inductive; lokacin da wutar ta wuce ƙarfin lantarki, ƙarfin amsawa ne na capacitive.

Ƙarfin aiki shine ƙarfin lantarki da ake buƙata don kiyaye aikin kayan lantarki na yau da kullun, wato, canza makamashin lantarki zuwa wasu nau'ikan makamashi (makamashi na inji, makamashin haske, zafi) na wutar lantarki. Misali: kilowatts 5.5 na injin lantarki shine kilowatts 5.5 na makamashin lantarki ana canza shi zuwa makamashin injiniya, yana tura famfo don yin famfo ruwa ko injin tacewa; za a mayar da kayan aiki daban-daban na haske zuwa makamashin haske, don mutane su rayu kuma su yi aiki da hasken wuta.

Ƙarfin amsawa ya fi rikitarwa; wutar lantarki ce da ake amfani da ita don musayar filayen lantarki da maganadisu a cikin da'ira da kuma kafa da kuma kula da filin maganadisu a cikin kayan lantarki. Ba ya aiki a waje, amma ana canza shi zuwa wasu nau'ikan makamashi. Duk wata na'urar lantarki mai na'urar maganadisu tana amfani da ƙarfin amsawa don kafa filin maganadisu. Misali, fitilar haske mai watt 40 tana buƙatar fiye da watt 40 na ƙarfin aiki (ballast ɗin kuma yana buƙatar cinye wani ɓangare na ƙarfin aiki) don fitar da haske, amma kuma yana buƙatar kimanin ƙarfin amsawa 80 don na'urar ballast ɗin don kafa filin maganadisu mai canzawa. Domin ba ya yin aikin waje, kawai a kira shi "mai amsawa".