An electrical current that periodically reverses its direction. The electrical mains supply is an alternating current that varies in a sinusoidal fashion, reversing itself 50 times per second in the UK and Europe, and 60 times per second in the USA.
Digital signals are SQUARE-WAVES that do not actually change direction, but switch between, for example 0 and 5 volts; in their electrical properties, however, they behave more like alternating currents than DIRECT CURRENTS.