A triac is a three-terminal bidirectional switch because it can conduct current in both directions when triggered by a small gate current. It is commonly used in AC power control applications, where it can control the flow of current in both positive and negative half-cycles of the AC waveform. The three terminals of a triac are the main terminal 1 (MT1), main terminal 2 (MT2), and the gate terminal. The bidirectional switching capability of a triac makes it suitable for controlling power to devices that require AC voltage, such as lamps, motors, and heaters.