Why does a 5 phase current exist?3 phases exist ,so why don't we have higher phase current?

Question

Why does a 5 phase current exist?3 phases exist ,so why don't we have higher phase current?

Answer 1

There are a lot of motors and generators in industrical applications which have multiphases more than the standard 3. (of course you can't run them with stadard 3-phase from the grid. They need special drivers.)

Answer 2

Three phase power uses three wires to provide three sinusoidal voltages that are 120° out of phase with each other.

We use three phases over single phase because it uses less copper, so it is cheaper.

We use three phase power over 4, 5 or 6 phases because it has all the advantages of multiphase power (can produce a rotating magnetic field, less copper so cheaper, constant prime mover power conversion, two voltages), but only uses three wires.

Essentially, the extra phases would be wasted and require additional wires.

Answer 3

One and two phase are powerful, but have time periods when there is no power.

3 phase does not have a time when there is no voltage differencial between the live wires.

Having more phases has no significant benefit, but raises costs for wires and equipment.