dont know whether youll bother to look at this its a really late reply but, whatever we build (or the teacher demonstrates in the lab) is a simple AC/DC motor and although fundamentally similar they do differ from "real" ac/dc motors..
As helper said "real" or large scale ac motors will contain a rotating field structure. Other differences include:
- Simple usually contains a field structure consisting of a common bar magnet, "real would used electromagnets to intensify the the magnetic flux.
- Simple would use a single coil, a real would used two coils at 90 degress to each other which increases torque and hence efficiencey of the motor
- An real AC generators would contain coils which a 120 degrees out of phase to produce three sets of voltages....
hope i helped =]