1. Polyphasic nomenclature, definitions, and classification

The term "polyphase electric machine" requires precision depending on whether one is referring to:

• the machine user who sees the number of wires needed to power it;

• the machine designer, who considers the number of electric coils to be installed and connected to each other;

• the drive designer, who must integrate the static converter and control;

• of the modeler who considers the number of independent variables that it is appropriate to consider in order to correctly describe and control the machine.

These different approaches sometimes lead to confusion when defining the number of phases, but they are all justified from their own point of view. This first chapter will be devoted to this topic.